After a summer of mostly rain and cold in London, mid-August was proving to be warm and sunny. We decided to take advantage of the situation by first boarding a train to Norwich and then renting a car to travel into the Norfolk area, staying at the small town of Stiffkey, not far from some of the more known – and visited – towns like Clay-on-Wells, Wells-next-the Sea, Blakeney, and Sandringham, among others.
Our goal was to take in the beauty of the countryside as well as Norfolk’s beaches and visit Houghton Hall to experience Antony Gormley’s installation, “Time Horizons.” The installation had received positive reviews, primarily for the unusual placement and sheer number of cast-iron human forms (over 100) thoughtfully positioned across the 300-acre estate. Not one cast human form directly faced another, but all were positioned based on a fixed point established by the installation team. Positioning each based on this fixed point, and taking into account the undulating nature of the 300-acre estate, resulted in the casts rising above or being buried within the undulating grounds. A work combining beauty and mathematics, we figured it was something that needed to be seen in person.
Arriving at Houghton Hall, the weather was not cooperating. It was hot, it was completely overcast, and it was humid. But the overcast sky turned out to be of benefit when viewing the house, the gardens, and the art. The grey light set off colors in ways that would not be possible in bright sunlight – whether we were standing before a herd of white fallow deer that call the estate home, viewing the dahlias and other flowers in the walled garden, moving through the darkened rooms of hand-painted wallpaper and tapestries and marble, or engaging with the rust-colored figures of Gormley’s installation.
Opposite:
Houghton Hall
with Gormley Casts
Photo
Courtesy of:
WW
7