Broken Column

Stavanger has a special sculpture project, Antony Gormley's "Broken Column". It consists of 23 cast iron figures placed to give the appearance of an imaginary column from Stavanger Art Museum to the city's harbour. The figures in sandblasted iron are based on a casting of the sculptor's own body, and their placement reflects a broad perspective of people's life in this city. From the teeming life of the harbour, the din of traffic and bustling activities in the commercial quarter, to the courts and legal offices, the quiet calm of the churchyard and private lives behind closed doors. The iron figure standing in the fish market forms the cardinal point for all the other sculptures. It gazes along Skagenkaien, 10 degrees towards the west, out to sea. The height of each sculpture is the same height as the sculptor - 1.95 m. The very first sculpture was placed in its own room in Stavanger Art Museum. It stands 41.41 metres above sea level. The next sculpture to be seen on the journey to the sea stands in Mosvannparken at 39.46 metres altitude (41.41 - 1.95). The column of figures continues in this fashion down towards the heart of the city, through the city and towards the sea. The final and 23rd sculpture stands with 149 of its 195 cm underwater, on a rock beyond Natvigs Minde in Stavanger's port basin. OnSpotStory code: 901105