Do the rooftop statues overlooking Cathedral Square still make you ‘look up’?
And do we truly appreciate having Gormley’s striking artwork in our city centre?
While some may complain about the current state of Peterborough city centre, it is worth remembering we have something here that most other cities would love to boast of.
Not one, not two, but three statues – known collectively as Places to Be – by world-renowned contemporary artist Antony Gormley stand sentinel on the rooftops of Peterborough’s Cathedral Square, 24/7. The three life-sized standing figures appear in three different stances: one has their arm shielding their eyes from the sun; another has their arms outstretched, while the third is striding purposefully with arms by their side. Gormley has suggested the figures are “trying to see into the future, trying to walk towards the future [and] trying to embrace everything” life has to offer. One of the main purposes of the installation was to encourage people to ‘look up’.
The problem is though, the three life-sized sculptures are quite easy to miss, as they are sited on unexpected vantage points which see them blend into the skyline of rooftops and façades.
This is deliberate.
Gormley didn’t want the sculptures to demand attention; he wanted them to reward curiosity.
Their stillness contrasts with the hustle and bustle at street level to create a quiet tension between observation and participation. While they are part of the city, they are also slightly removed from it.
Gormley wanted them to appear suddenly, framed against the sky or revealed between buildings, so that people would pause and look skywards.
In many ways, the three individual figures generate a similar response to Gormley’s other notable creations, like the iconic 'Angel of the North' which seemingly pops up out of nowhere at Gateshead, and the haunting 'Another Place' on Crosby Beach which sees countless human figures emerge (and submerge) with the tides.
The figures – which were made from casts of Gormley’s own body – were originally installed outside (the then) Monkstone House Offices before being moved to Thorpe Meadows in 1988. However, the figures were vandalised there in 2006 and removed in 2007. They were re-sited to the rooftops of Cathedral Square in May 2018.
They have been watching over us as we have shopped, dined and socialised for eight years.
When was the last time you noticed them?