6 TIMES – Antony Gormley Statues proposed for the Water of Leith
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 10:42AM Under the title ‘6 times’ Antony Gormley and the National Galleries of Scotland are proposing a multi-part work which would position six life-size cast iron figures between the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art grounds and the sea at Leith, with four of the figures situated at various points along the Water of Leith.
Antony Gormley is an internationally acclaimed artist, earning recognition for his ‘Angel of the North’ sculpture in Gateshead and more recently the work entitled ‘Another Place’ where 100 cast iron figures were placed on Crosby Beach near Liverpool. This would be his first public installation north of the border.
The first figure would be situated in the Gallery grounds, buried up to chest level, the second placed in the pool behind Bell’s Mill Weir in Belford looking down into the water in a contemplative pose. The third in the river in Stockbridge begins to look upward, the fourth is planned for St Marks Park in the Powderhall area, number five is in Bonnington near the new section of walkway and finally the sixth sited on the end of the abandoned pier in Leith Docks.
The figures, like those placed at Crosby Beach, are based on Gormley’s body and will rust and age with time. As they will be in the water they will act as gauges for the height of the river and no doubt collect detritus. The works will be enigmatic and prove to be a great draw for visitors to the river, however their location and appearance will undoubtedly be provocative and stimulate discussion. Planning permission is currently being sought for the works and details can been seen on CEC's Planning Portal application number 09/01482/ful. We would be interested in your comments
Gormley Art Edinburgh 
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Reader Comments (6)
Isn't there enough of Gormleys around the UK, why do we need to any more, and based on his own body, surely one is enough..Its about time, the Councils, the government, and the Lottery funding, put a stop to all this and got their priorites right, and free us of the Rusting old man, and has for the one, up on some oxford college, lot of good that is doing, not sure you can actually see it!!
I really like the idea. I think it will encourage a lot of visitors to the area and increase awareness of the river.
I think it's a wonderful idea. I've walked among the figures of the Crosby installation and it's thought-provoking and beautiful. This scheme would, as another commenter said, raise awareness of the river. I can see that detritus might be a problem, but detritus is an issue anyway, statues or not. I'm all for it - 110%.
I have seen both Anthony Gormleys work at Crosby and the Angel of the North and like them enormously, however I do see the point in transplanting these figures to the water of leith, can some original work not be created?
These statues of a naked man bear no relevance to the river, which is a pleasant environmental corridor stretching through the heart of the built-up city. We can see no purpose except to shock. Were the man to be fishing (clothed!) or perhaps doing something connected with the milling activities of old, there might be some rationale, but 4 naked images would be totally out of place. They would have no relevance, would rust, and would serve only to collect debris.
We love the sculpture of the otter at Dean Bridge, whilst the swan at St Bernard’s Well, though perhaps not in the right place, was at least relevant to the river. We fear however that 4 nude statues will just encourage vandalism and perhaps nude bathing by drunks. They are not wanted.
I agree with those who stae that these scuptures are not representative of Leith. The Water of Leith is one of the areas that can be opened up to show the wildlife and fish that are in the area between Broughton and Coburgh Street. Seven years ago, a survey showed that salmon were present in this area for the first time in nearly two hundred years. In the Redbraes area. we see an increase in the birds and others species that are being attracted to the water. Statues show nothing other than artistic skills by some well known artists. What it needs is to help nature play its parts and for funding to open up these areas for access by the people to enjoy the process of nature in an attractive environment..