Present Time

This one was discovered while seeing if there were any geocaches nearby when visiting Oxford. The following detail on the Geocaching App intrigued us to take a look at the sculpture:

Oxford's first (and so far only) official college geocache! Come inside and see our beautiful College, with its Grade II-listed buildings designed by Basil Champneys and the Antony Gormley sculpture, 'Present Time' in the Quad

The following details the sculpture:

This sculpture is based on two moulds made from the artist's body. The solid form of the lower figure and the horizontal divisions in the lead casing emphasise its weight. Its closed form, like a mummified body, evokes feelings of imprisonment. In contrast, the upper half, with legs and arms outstretched, is free. While the upper half concerns our spiritual or mental state, the lower half represents our physical state: these states are connected yet divided. In this way, the sculpture reflects Gormley's interest in meditation and Buddhism.

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