Antony Gormley

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981

This morphological progression runs from point, to line, to sphere through the opposing dialectic of phallic and ovoid shapes, using natural and man-made objects, starting with a pea and ending with a ball. It presents a reconsidered model of evolution in which Darwin's process of natural selection includes man-made nature, in which the creative and the destructive co-exist.

I wanted to re-formulate the relationship between subject and referent. All of these cases contain their referent, thereby simultaneously presenting and re-presenting an object whilst at the same time hiding it from view. Items 12 and 13 are respectively a grenade and a goose egg, the two forms which are the most morphologically identical but the most extremely opposed.

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NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: pea)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: pencil)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: carrot)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: chisel)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: banana)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: vibrator)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: courgette)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: bradawl)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: gherkin)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: plumb bob)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: goose egg)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
, (detail: grenade), 1981
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: lemon)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: lightbulb)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: pear)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: paintbrush)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: parsnip)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: pestle)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: marrow)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: Chianti bottle)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: coconut)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: ball of string)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: melon)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England

NATURAL SELECTION

NATURAL SELECTION, 1981
(detail: rubber ball)
Lead tools, fruits, weapons, vegetables, objects, Length: approx. 10 metres
Tate Collection, London, England