New York and Warth-Schröcken – one might think that the metropolis and the two small villages at the Arlberg don’t have much in common. That was true until summer 2010, when the British artist Antony Gormley chose Warth and Schröcken as locations for his new project. One hundred full-size iron figures have been placed within an area of 150km² around Warth-Schröcken, the Bregenz Forest, the Arlberg region and the Small Walser Valley, turning the Alps into a centre of art. The project is called “Horizon Field” and presents the first art project of this type in the High Alps and at the same time the largest landscape installation in Austria. The sculptures are casts of the body of the artist, which all have been placed exactly at 2039m above sea level. They create a horizontal field and play with the role of the human being in nature and its relationship to the mountains. From every sculpture in the exhibition area at least one further sculpture is in sight. Additionally, four other legendary installations by Antony Gormley can be seen at the Kunsthaus Bregenz. At the same time 31 similar sculptures are part of the skyline of New York and thematize the human being in an urban area. The inauguration of the installation takes place on 31st July and the exhibition will last until April 2012. During this time, the piece of art will be exposed to the forces of nature and different lighting conditions and seasons will leave their marks, thus enabling constantly new perceptions and impressions.

Extravagant installation in Vorarlberg

The preparations for this project already started in 2007. Innumerable helicopter flights were necessary to transport the sculptures and the necessary anchorage to the locations. The distance between the sculptures depends on the topographic conditions and varies between 60m and several kilometers. They are 1.89m high and positioned on mountain ridges, footpaths and pistes. Some of them are easy to reach; others are not accessible by foot. The figures look into different directions and never face each other. Hikers and skiers are challenged to find their own place within this network and therefore have to enter into a relationship with the installation.

The artist

Antony Gormley is one of today’s most important artists. His project “Horizon Field” focuses on the question “Which role does humankind (…) play on this planet? This installation appreciates the profound connection between social and geological space, between landscape and memory.” Thus, the sculptures have been placed at locations where humankind has already been or could have been. Be part of this network and find your own personal place until April 2012 in Warth-Schröcken.

»Guided snowshoeing tour to the art installation

»Website Antony Gormley
»Website Kunsthaus Bregenz