Iron men statues to stay on UK Coast

[Merlion]

This is another story about interesting public art that can bring in tourist dollars. These 100 life-cast statues of Anthony Gromley placed on the English coast seem to be so good in doing this that the local officials are trying hard, raising funds to stop them from being moved to New York. For me, one worry is that these are iron statues in sea water, and would not last too long unless they are regularly maintained, i.e. painted like ships.

Iron men statues set to stay on Crosby beach (http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=17353677&method=full&siteid=50061&headline=iron-men-statues-set-to-stay-on-crosby-beach-name_page.html)

ANTONY GORMLEY'S iron men statues are set to become a permanent feature on the [English] Merseyside coast. .....

Sefton officials believe the statues, due to move to New York in November, will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the coastline. ....

Negotiations have already taken place with Mr Gormley and his commercial dealer, and officials have set a working target of £2m for the purchase, modifications and maintenance.

In a report to go before cabinet on Thursday, Sefton chief executive Graham Haywood says the piece has created a "feelgood factor" in Crosby, by creating jobs, doubling visitor numbers and boosting the local economy. .....

Visitor numbers to the sculptures, which were cast from Mr Gormley's body, are expected to have hit the 600,000 mark by November.

The 100 statues, instal- led at a cost of £150,000, are also expected to bring £6m to the local economy before they are due to leave - £1m more than was expected. .....

Here is a BBC article (http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/content/articles/2006/03/07/number59_feature.shtml) on what is fascinating about these iron men standing still in the water admidst the waves and the rising and falling tide. The article carries photos and even audio/video links.

[Ries]

Its good to see more people realizing the positive aspects of public art, including the financial impacts.
This has been proven by studies again and again, but its still tough to get politicians to believe it, and spend money on art.

As far as the pieces lifetime, in salt water- since these are solid cast iron pieces, with thicknesses up to 1 foot, I would imagine they will outlast any of us.
There are grounded ships near me that have been on the beach for between 50 and 80 years, and the steel is still quite present, and it was only 1" or 2" plate to begin with.

In temperate climates like England, or the Pacific Northwest, unpainted steel will actually last for many years, unlike at the humid equatorail zone of Singapore. Also, the actual rust process takes oxygen- it doesnt rust underwater much, only up in the air.

[Merlion]

This is an update about these cast-iron men by Anthony Gormley standing admist the tide on an English beach. It is a set-back for the campaign to delay the schedule move to relocate the iron army to New York, so that they can buy them from the artist for £ 2 million.

Outcry as Gormley works head off to another place (http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_headline=outcry-as-gormley-works-head-off-to-another-place&method=full&objectid=17955825&siteid=50061-name_page.html#story_continue)

ANTONY GORMLEY'S internationally-renowned 'Another Place' statues are to be dismantled and removed from Merseyside after a shock council decision last night.

The army of statues on Waterloo Beach, visited by 600,000 people in a year, will be taken away on October 31, after Sefton council refused a four-month stay of execution. ....

Campaigners battling to retain the 100 life-size sculptures, backed by business leaders, last night said they had expected to receive a £1m boost next week.

Planning officers had recommended that the statues be allowed to stay for another four months, which would have allowed time to raise the £2m needed to buy them.

Ms Curtis-Thomas, who lives opposite the stretch of beach where the statues stand, said the decision was "appalling" and "small-minded".

She said: "How are we ever going to attract inward investment now, after we have taken away the one thing that gave us an international profile? .....

[fritchie]

Definitely a poor decision by the local council, if that report is correct. I suppose nudity may be an unspoken argument, but Gormley is a major talent and a very prominent name in sculpture today, and the tourism loss will be tremendous if that decision stands.

[Merlion]

What is it that makes people love these large number of iron men, each standing alone motionless on flat coastal shores, braving the incoming tides, perhaps sometimes submerged, and seeing away the outgoing tides. Being sculptors, it is good for us to know, isn't it, why certain 3D artwork got to be so well loved among the general public.

Here is a report about the attitude of the Norwegians who had these iron men by Anthony Gormley on display before they were moved away to a coast near Liverpool, England.

Norwegians would have iron men back like a shot (http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_headline=norwegians-would-have-iron-men-back-like-a-shot&method=full&objectid=17981219&siteid=50061-name_page.html)

THE people of Norway rue the day they let the Antony Gormley statues go, it was revealed last night.

The 100 iron men, which now stand on Waterloo beach, spent a year on Sola Beach in Stavanger. Sven Egil Ombal, the culture editor on the city's respected regional newspaper the Stavanger Aftenblad, says the Norwegians would take back Another Place in an instant.

Like Liverpool, 2008 will be a big year for Stavanger when it will celebrate the title of non-EU Capital of Culture.

Mr Ombal said: "Many people in our city still have posters of Another Place in their houses.

"If we could have kept hold of them, we would have without a doubt.

"It was a wonderful year. People would go to the beach and dress the statues up and dance around them.

"We held a photographic competition where readers had to send in pictures of the statues. It was the most successful competition we have ever held with more than 1,000 entries." ......

[Merlion]

I've just come across this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Tuw-12y69k&mode=related&search=) of these 100 Anthony Gormley iron men called "Another Place" at Crosby beach near Liverpool. It is a professional video, very well done, perhaps arranged by Gormley, duration 8 min. It is probably the best experience we can get without visiting Crosby ourselves.

There is a interesting and unique feeling viewing these iron men standing there very still facing the incoming tide.

This is the reverse of outdoor kinetic sculpture and performance art. The statues do not move, but the environment does, very slowly covering them up, and very slowly retreating.

[Merlion]

Here is the latest news about the fate of these 100 nude iron men statues by Antony Gormley called 'Another Place', standing to face the tides on an English beach.

Nude Statues Can Stay on English Beach (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/07/AR2007030702132.html)

The Associated Press, March 7, 2007

LONDON -- "Another Place" can stay put. Local authorities voted Wednesday to allow Antony Gormley's installation "Another Place" _ made up of 100 cast-iron sculptures of naked men _ to remain on a beach in northwest England.

The identical figures, which gaze out to sea along a 2-mile stretch of sand, were cast from molds of Gormley's own body.

Since they were installed in 2005 on Crosby Beach, near Liverpool, the installation has been a hit with residents and visitors, who flock to the beach to be photographed with the 6-foot figures.

Last year, local authorities at Sefton Council refused to extend the artwork's temporary permission. .....

Sefton Council's planning department granted a reprieve Wednesday after Another Place Ltd., which runs the exhibition, agreed to remove 16 sculptures from the most contentious areas and to reduce the size of the site. ....