Six life-size figures. That’s what makes up Antony Gormley’s 6 Times. We are standing before one of them right now.
This incredible artwork is more than just six sculptures. It’s a project commissioned by the National Galleries of Scotland. It’s the first time a work in their collection was permanently spread across Edinburgh. Think about that for a moment. Not confined to a gallery but integrated into the city’s very fabric.
The story begins in 2010. The figures cast in iron were placed in various locations. One sits buried up to its chest near the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. The others are along the Water of Leith. Imagine these silent figures gazing at the river.
The initial placement wasn’t without incident. Two passers-by mistook one for a man hanging from a tree! They called 999. The police arrived promptly. Another time. one wore a McDonald’s T-shirt. Others sported an “I Love Leith” shirt and a pink bikini. Someone even put a bathtub on one’s head.
The figures were designed with a hinge mechanism. This protected them from strong currents in the Water of Leith. Amazingly. two disappeared overnight in 2010. Heavy rain was blamed. The galleries thought they had simply collapsed. They later reappeared. Submerged in mud.
The sculptures are more than just static objects. They’re meant to change. They’re expected to wear and disintegrate at different rates. Gormley expected them to last for about 1000 years. He wasn’t worried about the attention they received. Their interaction with the environment adds to the artwork’s evolution.
The 6 Times figures represent human vulnerability. They pose the question of how humans fit into their environment. They were liberated from a museum. Placed in the elemental world. Completely unprotected. This invites viewers to contemplate their own place in the world.
So take a moment to fully appreciate 6 Times. These aren’t just sculptures. They’re a story of art nature and human interaction. A captivating tale told over time. A testament to creativity that continues to unfold.