Antony Gormley is recognised as one of the most important artists of his generation. His sculptures celebrating the human (1997), his sculptures on Crosby Beach, to his 20m-tall (1998). And his latest work continues that theme, with 100 life-size cast-iron bodies peppering the grounds of Houghton Hall. This is the first time the work has been staged in the UK since it was installed in Cantanzaro, Italy, in 2006. The ‘bodies’ are all positioned at the same datum level to create a single horizontal plane across 300 acres of parkland and through the house. Some works are buried, allowing only a part of the head to be seen, while others are entombed up to the chest or knees. ‘Art has recently privileged the object rather than the experience that objects can initiate,’ says Gormley.
