Arts | University

18 Feb 09

Antony Gormley's sculpture 'Another Time' arrives at Exeter College where it has now been erected

A new addition to the Oxford skyline was unveiled on the roof of Exeter College at the weekend.

The seven foot tall figure of a man cast in iron by internationally renowned artist Antony Gormley was lifted into place on the roof of the Thomas Wood Building on the corner of Broad Street and Turl Street on Sunday morning. The sculpture, Another Time, faces out across Broad Street towards Balliol College and is clearly visible from the street.

‘We felt it was important to site the statue where it can be seen and enjoyed by everyone in Oxford,’ said the Rector of Exeter College, Frances Cairncross. ‘We are thrilled that the College has been able to acquire this striking work of contemporary art by such an important artist, and we hope that it will soon become a new Oxford landmark.’

Antony Gormley said that he hoped that the work would act as “a point of reference in a city where scholarship and quotidian life intermingle”. He said that the casual passer-by might ask “What is that naked iron bloke doing up there?” but might also be made to think of “other relations with time and distance, with other destinies and destinations other than the immediate”.

Susanna Pressel, Lord Mayor of Oxford, officially unveiled the sculpture at a rooftop ceremony watched by a crowd of onlookers on Broad Street.

Antony Gormley’s best known works include The Angel of the North in Gateshead and Another Place, which is sited on Crosby Beach.

Broad Street is one of the largest open urban spaces in Oxford and is at the heart of the city centre. It is used for a variety of important cultural and social purposes by both the city and the University, and is home to a number of colleges as well as the Bodleian Library and the Sheldonian Theatre.

The unveiling of the sculpture came at the beginning of the Turl Street Arts Festival, a week-long festival held each February by students from Exeter, Jesus, and Lincoln colleges.The sculpture has been funded by an anonymous benefactor.