Another Time XI
Turl Street, Oxford, GB
Details
High above Turl Street, on the corner of Broad Street, a seven-foot, half-tonne iron man gazes out over the historic city of Oxford. This is "Another Time XI," a striking sculpture by the renowned artist Antony Gormley, famous for the Angel of the North. Installed in 2009 and cast from Gormley's own body, the nude figure stands sentinel atop the Blackwell's Art and Poster Shop, a gift to Exeter College from an anonymous benefactor. Many pass by daily without noticing the stark, silent watcher, making its eventual discovery a memorable moment for students and visitors alike. The artist himself expressed pleasure at its unexpected placement, hoping the sight of the "naked iron bloke" would provoke questions with no single easy answer.
Part of a series of one hundred identical sculptures placed worldwide, "Another Time XI" is intended to celebrate the "still and silent nature of sculpture" and to be encountered within the flow of everyday life. Gormley’s works often explore the human form and our relationship with space and time. The powerful, solitary figure invites contemplation, its unyielding iron form a stark contrast to the bustling academic life unfolding below and the "florid figures" of nearby Trinity College. Its presence has occasionally caused a stir, with some passersby initially mistaking it for a person in distress, a testament to its lifelike yet enigmatic quality. Look up, and you'll find this intriguing piece of public art silently observing the city.
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