’s new Pioneer Higher Skills Centre in April 2021. The sculpture is an early example of Antony Gormley’s ‘Beamer’ series, which investigates the space of a human body by using the structures of the body that normally contain it.

The 6-foot, 286kg cast iron sculpture is made up of a network of interlocking beams, suggesting that the body is as much a register of space as it is a displacer of it. It is constructed from blocks and beams set to x/y/z coordinates, containing voids that allow space to penetrate the body. It looks outwards to the horizon towards the wider townscape.

Yorkshire has a long association with the dynamic relationship between mining, manufacturing and engineering and a rich heritage in all forms of industrial fabrication. 

 is a celebration of Dewsbury’s hands-on making culture and expresses the spirit and values of the town and region.

Photograph: Kirklees College, Dewsbury, UK. Installation view. Photograph by Stewart Jackson.