Human Sculptures To Gauge Rise and Fall of Water of Leith

Submitted by edg on Thu, 29 Apr '10 3.46pm

A new art project, commissioned by the National Galleries of Scotland, will see four human figures immersed in the Water of Leith, acting as gauges for the height of the river as it swells and recedes.

Work began in Edinburgh this month on the multi-part sculptural project by celebrated British artist Antony Gormley. "6 Times" will consist of a total of six life-sized figures positioned between the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the sea.

"The National Galleries of Scotland is committed to bringing art out into the wider community and this installation along the Water of Leith is a very physical and prominent declaration of this aim," says John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland.

The figure closest to the sea, at Leith Docks, is now in place and installation of the further figures will take place throughout June. It will be the first time that a work in the National Galleries’ collection has been permanently located across the city of Edinburgh itself.

The first figure will be located within the grounds of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Although a full-length cast, it will be buried in the ground up to neck-level.

The next figure will appear within a basin of the river immediately behind the gallery, where it will gaze down into the water in a contemplative pose.

A further three figures will be sited at separate points downstream in Stockbridge, Powderhall and Bonnington, looking progressively up, right and left.

The final figure, now situated at the end of an abandoned pier in Leith Docks, looks out to the point where the river course finally meets the sea.

The exhibitors say of the sculpture: "This enigmatic, provocative and stimulating work will convey a sense of mystery and quiet monumentality, and will draw new attention to the important natural environment of the Water of Leith, which runs through the heart of Edinburgh."

Turner Prize Winner

Born in London in 1950 Antony Gormley’s work has been exhibited extensively in exhibitions throughout the UK and internationally. Gormley won the Turner Prize in 1994, and in 1997 created the Angel of the North for Gateshead.

"It is wonderful to have the chance to make a work that connects so many different parts of this great city," says Gormley, who uses his own body as subject, tool and material in his investigations of the body as a place of memory and transformation.

"When you see one you will, perhaps, remember another. The idea is to connect to time, weather and place and play part in the making of a scene, a picture, a reality, incomplete without you: the observer."

Councillor Deidre Brock, Culture Leader for the City of Edinburgh Council said it is "tremendously exciting" for Edinburgh to be hosting the Gormley sculptures. "These new works will create a powerful and visually arresting complement to the natural beauty of the Water of Leith and its walkway," said Brock.

6 Times has been commissioned with the support of The Art Fund, The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, The Patrons of the National Galleries of Scotland, Claire Enders and The Henry Moore Foundation.