Critical acclaim expected for Gormley sculptures

A crane lifted 60 cast-iron statues, each weighing up to 700kg, into precise positions aligning with the steel-girder grid supporting the balcony rooftop over Tuesday and Wednesday.

Final tweaking was done on Thursday ahead of tomorrow's opening.

Curator Jane Won said: "The practice of how we lay out the figures is really a discussion between the artist, and the structural engineers, and us.

"They weigh a lot, and there are 60 of them so we have to very careful. Because the roof support is in grid formation there are only certain points we can put them.

"It's an artistic thing, but also a structural thing because the building has restrictions too. It's a limitation but you can also use it as part of the aesthetic."

Models of all 60 statues, which are cast from molds of the artist's body, were positioned meticulously by Gormley and the engineers on a scale reproduction of the Pavilion roof before work began.

Three lorries carried the work from Halifax to Bexhill, where Caleb Madden, senior technician at the De La Warr Pavilion, oversaw the installation.

Critical Mass features statues in five different positions - 12 examples of each - all with different points of contact with the roof.

It is a major coup for the Pavilion, who are also currently showing work by Tony Bevan and an exhibition curated by Lutz Becker.

"All of the work was done before today," Caleb said on Tuesday. "But we are having to be very precise. They have to go exactly where they have to go.

"There's 20cm on each side of the beams, but we don't have anything like that room to play with. But don't worry. There's no chance of it coming through the roof."

Antony Gormley said: "It is great to have a chance to test this piece of sculpture against the clarity of Mendelsohn and Chemayeff's English masterpiece.

"I am excited to see these dark forms in the elements against the sea and in direct light. It will be like a sky burial."

Critical Mass is open from tomorrow (May 8) - August 31. Entry is 3. For information contact the Pavilion on 01424 229111.