Comments on: Antony Gormley’s sculpture

By: Kat

Kat — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:04:01 +0000

How about the Sulky Bulky? Pity we can’t get a better idea of what it looks like with only the one tiny picture…

By: Paul Nash

Paul Nash — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:22:58 +0000

What is needed is a statue commemorating Swift — a giant figure of the writer or Gulliver is the obvious choice. It would also need to be of the highest quality. It should also offer an attraction such as a vantage point — the Spike was a failure in that regard. On Gormley’s wireframe man’s pose, it does seem miserable and just looking down at people dioes not constitute a connection with them.
Gormley has some ideas, but in my view he tends to drop the ball with some of them. The Angel of the North is arguably rather a weak or whimsical concept (angels) and the ironing board arms are ugly.
But where are our Irish sculptors? Danny Osborne’s Wilde is an excellent marker in terms of quality. Come to think of it, I believe he is Irish based but is he Irish? I hasten to say that I am not at all nationalistic, but we really should be doing better in public sculpture. The Point project is excellent but is a museum concept, not an art work.

By: Toni

Toni — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:32:05 +0000

What’s the story with this now? Is it going ahead or what? I personally don’t think Gormley should have got the commission, firstly because it should have gone to an Irish artist, secondly because he just rehashes the same idea over and over again, and thirdly because there’s something slightly disturbing about a big British man watching Dublin go about its business…

By: DeepRed

DeepRed — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 00:04:48 +0000

How about ‘The Guy in the Sky’?

By: Peter H

Peter H — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:13:49 +0000

Getting back to the name, another three: The Big Dipper, Meccano Man, The Bishop (very “holey” man).

By: sparks

sparks — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 21:16:03 +0000

It’s looking down cos “Gormley has evolved this proposal from Field, a vast installation of 35,000 sculptures last seen in Dublin in 1993 at his show in IMMA, where tiny clay objects looked up at the viewer. This dynamic has been reversed in this proposal for Dublin, where the walkers on the street will become the Lilliputians in relation to this subliminally evoked collective body” (according to the ddda website) what you see in reflects your own feelings, personally I think it looks caring

By: Shane

Shane — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:48:56 +0000

Eimear-marie - It’s a big question, although I don’t mind where the artist is from as long as it works.

Con - The exhibition appears to have been excellent, but it’s fair for people to feel a little unsure of this sculpture’s suitability, given its position and size. Although, you raise an important point about what exactly “this” Ireland is that we should represent.

By: Eimear-marie

Eimear-marie — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:32:17 +0000

Shouldnt we try to celebrate and promote irish arts? I just wonder why an english artist is doing a sculpture in Dublin. Shouldnt the art work being commisioned(espesially one of such huge scale) be done by an irish artist. I have no problem with him as an artist i just feel that a sculpture being done in Ireland should be done by someone irish….is it just me?

By: Con

Con — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 16:49:46 +0000

Anyone who got to see Gormley’s Blind Light exhibition in London will understand that his work is contemplative; an almost religious quality in it’s introspection…. f*ck you this is Ireland-what is the ‘this’ and the ‘Ireland’ you’re getting at and why should anyone care?

By: Enda

Enda — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:40:24 +0000

Is no-one else familiar with the work of Gormley. This is what he does. Its not about what the object itself more like its relationship to its surroundings in terms of placement and scale. They are more often than not human figures. The reason its looking down is because its looking at the people on the ground, connecting with them whether they like it or not.

Check out “Angel of the North” “Another Place” “Iron Man” or the 31 lifesize figures placed on the rooftops of London.

If the attitude of “oh….its different I dont like it” prevails, Dublin will lose out on alot of its potential. I think this is a great time for Architecture for Ireland and we shouldnt let the cynics and pessimists scupper the potential we have for some very interesting buildings and public spaces which every other major city seems to be in the process of building except Dublin it seems. First Martha Schwartz and now Gormley, we just need some of our home grown talent to come out.