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Antony Gormley's Aldeburgh sculptures replaced with new 'angel'

PA Media Brick circle art workPA Media
The Gormley pieces are currently incorporated into a new artwork featuring bricks that have been washed up by the sea

Sculptures by Sir Antony Gormley that are due to be removed from a beach after the artist objected are being replaced with a new work of art.

The Angel of the North sculptor's work at Aldeburgh, in Suffolk, is being replaced by the Angel of the East.

The owner of the Gormley artworks, Caroline Wiseman, is removing them after Sir Antony said their positioning "misrepresented" his work.

Local artists have created the new artwork using washed-up red bricks.

Ms Wiseman bought Gormley's four iron bollards in 2001 and placed them on the shingle beach in August last year.

Caroline Wiseman, the owner of the sculptures
Caroline Wiseman had recently applied for retrospective planning permission for placing the sculptures on the beach

Earlier this year, she applied for retrospective planning permission for the pieces, which some had likened to "sex toys" and "giant dog poo" on social media.

Sir Antony objected on a number of grounds, telling the council the way they had been laid flat was a "misrepresentation" of his work - they should be upright - and he also complained about the renaming of them as Quartet (Sleeping), 2001.

Gormley's names for the 220lb (100kg) pieces were Oval, Peg, Penis and Snowman.

The Sir Antony Gormley sculptures at Aldeburgh beach
The four cast iron pieces were placed on the shingle beach

Ms Wiseman described Sir Antony's intervention as "small-minded", but decided to withdraw the planning application and sell the pieces.

Getty Images Sir Antony GormleyGetty Images
Sir Antony Gormley's agent has said the placement of the sculptures "compromises their purpose as a piece of street furniture"

The bollards will be removed on Wednesday and work on a replacement has been started by members of Arts Club Aldeburgh Beach.

A circle of red sea bricks on the beach, which they are calling the Angel Of The East, is made of bricks that Ms Wiseman said were the "result of coastal erosion, they're from houses that have probably fallen into the sea... and then they've been washed by the sea".

Caroline Wiseman Brick from the seaCaroline Wiseman
The Angel of the East is made from bricks which have had their edges smoothed off by the actions of the sea

"Time and tide have sculpted these bricks into beautiful rounded forms - they are sea-sculpted," one of the art group said.

"Their red colour mirrors the rising sun."

PA Media Brick circle art workPA Media
People are welcome to add their own bricks to the new work
Lookout Aldeburgh's Lookout towerLookout
Caroline Wiseman said money from the sale of the Gormley pieces would be spent on the Lookout "tiny temple of art"

Ms Wiseman said visitors were welcome to add their own sea bricks to the new work.

"We are sad to see the Gormleys go, but we are delighted that we are now able to restore this tiny temple of art for future generations of artists," she said.

Funds raised from the sale of the four Gormley pieces will be used to refurbish and paint the Lookout tower art space in Aldeburgh, which Ms Wiseman runs.

Sir Antony's studio has been contacted by the BBC for comment.

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