Gormley nails new Cathedral sculpture
by Gerry Warren
Hundreds of old nails taken from the restoration of Canterbury
Cathedral have been transformed into a stunning new work by Angel
of the North sculptor Antony Gormley.
The piece is in the form of a body which is suspended as if
floating in mid-air in the Cathedral Crypt where the tomb of Thomas
Beckett was originally sited.
Gormley, who created the Angel of the North, was at the
unveiling for the piece called 'Transport’ on Sunday afternoon but
Cathedral officials have revealed it has not cost them a penny.
Matthew Butler, chief executive of the Canterbury
Gift appeal which is raising money for the restoration work, said:
“There were hundreds of old iron nails being taken out from the
lead on the roof which were just going to be thrown away.
“Somebody in our office knew a contact of Antony Gormley and
when it was suggested he might like to do something with the nails
he jumped at the chance.”
Mr Gormley said it was rewarding to work with the material which
already had a connection with the Cathedral and turn its functional
life into an imaginative one.”
He added: “We are all the temporary inhabitants of a body. It is
our house, instrument and medium.
“Through it, all impressions of the world come and from it all
our acts, thoughts and feelings are communicated.
"I hope to have evoked this in the most direct way
possible.”
The Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, the Very Rev Robert Willis
added that it was thrilling to have an Antony Gormley work for
which the Cathedral was 'hugely grateful’.
He added: “The sense of passage which the word 'Transport’
conveys tunes well with the constant movement of people through
this place of prayer and creativity.”
What do you think about the new Gormley sculpture? Post
your comments in the box below.
31/01/11
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