London – London may be famous for its fog – but is it art? Antony Gormley’s new “Blind Light” installation challenges visitors to see for themselves, luring them into a reinforced glass box that then surrounds them in a cloud of bright, white fog so thick even their own feet vanish in the mist.
The British sculptor described the work at the Hayward Gallery as a “climatological and sociological experiment” that forces visitors to face a disorienting experience. He said the idea of blending people into the fog is also to make visitors part of the art.
“On the one hand, you have lost all sense of location – left, right, front, back,” Gormley said. “You immediately are lost in space, and that makes you anxious. But at the same time, I think there is a sense of euphoria that you are almost free of the body whilst being returned to it in a new way.”
The 9-yard-by-11-yard chamber is part of Gormley’s larger exhibition, also called “Blind Light.” It includes dozens of works from the prize-winning artist’s 25-year career.
The exhibition also includes 31 life-size figures on structures near the gallery, such as the National Theatre, Waterloo Bridge and buildings on both sides of the Thames. Visitors will be able to see the fiberglass and cast- iron figures – some clearly visible and others only as a presence on the horizon – from the gallery’s three sculpture terraces.
The exhibition opens today and runs through Aug. 19.
One of Gormley’s sculptures, “Quantum Cloud XXXIII,” is on display at the Denver Art Museum.
