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All the United Kingdom England Oxford Another Time II
AO Edited

Another Time II

Hidden in plain sight, this creepy sculpture watches from above.

Oxford, England

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K O'Neal
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Another Time II   Bill Tyne on Flickr
Another Time looks over Broad Street   Damian Cugley via Flickr
Evening sun illuminates the statue   Damian Cugley via Flickr
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Another Time II over Broad Street.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
Another Time II against the sky.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
Another Time II stands out against the Oxford skyline.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
  http://www.pricemyers.com/structures/projects/gormley-rooftop-sculpture-exeter-college-oxford
  Juliejoolz / Atlas Obscura User
  LeviEthan107 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Once you see it, you can't unsee it. 

Perched on top of Blackwell's Art and Poster Shop on Oxford's Exeter College, this seven-foot-tall statue by Antony Gormley is one of a series of sculptures called "Another Time II," based on molds taken from his own body. Gormley is most well known for his massive, winged Angel of the North, which takes a similar watchful view over Newcastle. This bronze nude in Oxford weighs half a ton and was the gift of an anonymous benefactor in 2009. 

Broad Street is one of the most frequented streets in Oxford, connecting St. Giles to the Sheldonian, Blackwell's bookstores, and several museums and colleges. However, hundreds of people pass through this area every day without noticing the naked man on the roof. Many students and visitors only notice him after several days, or even weeks, and spotting him at night can be disconcerting. Several surprised passersby have made phone calls to the local police, fearing that they were witnessing a suicide attempt. Some in the know (students, in particular) have climbed to the roof to dress it in various outfits.

Exeter's College rector Frances Cairncross praised the statue upon installation, saying that the "wonderfully stark" sculpture would be a welcome contrast to the "florid figures" standing across the way at Trinity College. Gormley, too, was quite pleased with his bronze's clever, unexpected location. "The casual passer-by will ask, 'What is that naked iron bloke doing up there?,’" the artist said, "[a question] for which I hope there will never be a single satisfactory answer."

Gormley is also responsible for several other similar art installations, including Waterloo and Edinburgh.

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Sculptures Oxford University

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On the roof of Blackwell's Art and Poster Shop (Exeter College), Broad Street

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ichthus

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hana, SEANETTA, EricGrundhauser, JamazingClayton...

  • hana
  • SEANETTA
  • EricGrundhauser
  • JamazingClayton
  • rbenn250
  • Juliejoolz
  • Julius Spada
  • LeviEthan107

Published

November 11, 2015

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  • http://www.oxfordhistory.org.uk/broad/news/gormley_statue.html
  • http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/4083807.Iron_man_set_to_soar_over_city/
  • http://www.exeter.ox.ac.uk/node/581
  • http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/oxfordshire/7891217.stm
Another Time II
27 Broad St.
Oxford, England, OX1
United Kingdom
51.754172, -1.256955
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