Nude Dudes In The Sand - Crosby beach, Merseyside
Of course, I knew, that they were there, I just had no idea that 'there' was so close. I ain't from around here, Boy.
The morning started off very grey and grim-up-North. I was resigned to another day of letting the outdoors get on with it's affairs, in my absence. Then, around noon, the sun came out and the day took on a completely different hue. So deprived are we Northern Europeans of sunshine, the first sight of a ray, and we're packing for the beach. We forget that it is, in fact, January...
So, having access to secondborn girlchild's car, for the day, I made some Manwiches and a flask of coffee, charged the camera battery, and cleared the SD card.
I didn't forget it was January; I may be old but I still have [most of] my facilities, you know.
The morning started off very grey and grim-up-North. I was resigned to another day of letting the outdoors get on with it's affairs, in my absence. Then, around noon, the sun came out and the day took on a completely different hue. So deprived are we Northern Europeans of sunshine, the first sight of a ray, and we're packing for the beach. We forget that it is, in fact, January...
So, having access to secondborn girlchild's car, for the day, I made some Manwiches and a flask of coffee, charged the camera battery, and cleared the SD card.
I didn't forget it was January; I may be old but I still have [most of] my facilities, you know.
Crosby is but a few miles outside of Liverpool and, at Waterloo, the sign said 'Thattaway!' and, Lo! There it was. Well, eventually, it was, after I'd parked the car, walked between the two lakes and over the sand dunes. I don't know what I was expecting. Well, actually, I do. I was expecting exactly what I saw: cast iron nude dudes in the sand, looking expectantly/longingly/desperately/resignedly/hopefully out to sea.
It's a weird feeling, standing there, looking at all these motionless blokes, staring straight ahead. If they were side by side, it would be a bit like a Gentleman's toilet...
The problem with Art is that there is always someone who 'knows' about it. I can't claim to be that person. My view is much simpler; I either like it or, I don't. I don't really care if it is 'ART'. I'm not big on pigeon-holing things.
I did a bit of research and came up with this interview with the artist, Antony Gormley, which I think is rather good... http://newint.org/features/web-exclusive/2011/11/17/antony-gormley-interview/
It's a weird feeling, standing there, looking at all these motionless blokes, staring straight ahead. If they were side by side, it would be a bit like a Gentleman's toilet...
The problem with Art is that there is always someone who 'knows' about it. I can't claim to be that person. My view is much simpler; I either like it or, I don't. I don't really care if it is 'ART'. I'm not big on pigeon-holing things.
I did a bit of research and came up with this interview with the artist, Antony Gormley, which I think is rather good... http://newint.org/features/web-exclusive/2011/11/17/antony-gormley-interview/
The most striking facet of the installation is the starkness of the environment; this is a place that is, largely, empty space. If these statues had been placed, for example, on the beach at Blackpool, it would have given a very different feel. The simple fact that there is so much nothing here, makes the figures stand out. I became transfixed by the space as much as the figures themselves. As Gormley says in the aforementioned interview, the contrast between the verticality of the bodies and the horizontality of the beach, the sea, the horizon, is what jumps out at you. You tend to become fixated on trying to figure out what they are looking at and you stand there, looking out to sea, just as they do. It's all a bit of bizarre, really. 'They' aren't actually looking at anything... And, as much as you are sure that one of them moved, it didn't. Or, did it?
This is a very restful spot or, at least, it was when I was there. Peaceful, tranquil, calming. That said, maybe it is still all those things without the iron men? It certainly isn't spooky, creepy, haunting or, any of the things that I thought it might have been. I really did enjoy my excursion to Crosby. The weirdest thing is that it is so close to Liverpool yet, if you choose, you can completely forget that fact and pretend you're on a remote island somewhere.
This is a very restful spot or, at least, it was when I was there. Peaceful, tranquil, calming. That said, maybe it is still all those things without the iron men? It certainly isn't spooky, creepy, haunting or, any of the things that I thought it might have been. I really did enjoy my excursion to Crosby. The weirdest thing is that it is so close to Liverpool yet, if you choose, you can completely forget that fact and pretend you're on a remote island somewhere.
One final thing. I read that quite a few people have, over the years, raised objections to the nudity of these male forms and contend that the fact that each of the figures has a penis makes them obscene. To those people, I say: Get a grip! Pretty much 50% of the population has one, too! So, the blokes have dicks. So what? It's not a particularly large, erect, in your face pornopenis and, in reality, they'd look ridiculous if they were deprived of their organs. Have you ever noticed how the ones who rant and rave about obscenity in our world see pornography everywhere and are obsessed with it? Just sayin'...
Art? Who cares? Just go and experience it
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
25th January 2015
Art? Who cares? Just go and experience it
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
25th January 2015