Antony Gormley – Time Horizon, Houghton Hall, review: a 3-D, country-house version of Where's Wally?

Houghton Hall in North Norfolk will be reopening to the public on April 21 after closing for the winter. Guests can explore the state rooms and surrounding areas of the grand Palladian manor, which was constructed in the 1700s for Robert Walpole and is now the family residence for the Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley. Additionally, guests can view Time Horizon, a huge installation by Antony Gormley that is being displayed in the UK for the first time, as part of the entry fee this year. Inside the house, there will also be an exhibit of ceramics by Magdalene Odundo opening in May.

The house's entrance area has a stone slab that someone has removed. Inside the hole, there is a big iron sculpture of a man without clothes on, and it's partially buried. If you look down there, you can see his legs and feet on a pile of concrete blocks in the basement. But don't worry, soon they will cover it over, and only his upper body will be visible in the room. All the other things there, like fancy art and furniture, will get taken away so that only this man statue remains.

He isn't alone in his venture as there are 99 others who are just like him, who pose subtly in 23 different ways all over the spacious 300-acre parkland in Houghton. The main idea behind Time Horizon is that every sculpture is placed at an equal height level, utilizing the arcade's submerged statue as a point of reference, forming one single horizon. Although Norfolk is one of the flattest counties in England, with this setup, even the smallest inclinations are made evident. Some of the 1.89-meter statues are partly buried, revealing only their neck up, while some stand tall on grey concrete columns.

On a map of the park, you can find the spots where the figures are by looking for the red dots. Finding them gives you a feeling of playing a 3D version of "Where's Wally?" It's an enjoyable experience but lacks depth. Perhaps the figures are too recognizable, giving off an impression of being too set in stone.

For many years, Gormley has been displaying various arrangements of these cast-iron sculptures which were made using moulds of his own unclothed body. These particular sculptures were created in 2006 for an exhibition in an archaeological park located in Southern Italy, while another 100 are constantly on view at Crosby Beach in Liverpool. Nonetheless, for Gormley, where the sculptures are located is just as critical as the sculptures themselves. When the Houghton exhibition was declared, he expressed his desire for people to explore the area broadly. Gormley clarified that "Time Horizon" is not just a picture but a vast field that one interacts with. Fortunately, the Houghton's field is full of surprises, from the white fallow deer jumping around the estate to over a dozen open-air sculptures made by other artists that Lord Cholmondeley purchased over the years.

When you stumble upon James Turrell's Skyspace: Seldom Seen (2002), located on an elevated oak structure hidden in the midst of trees, it will leave you in awe. The portion of the cloudy sky, viewed through the rectangular opening in the roof, appears like a mesmerizing moving picture. You can appreciate Gormley's weathered replicas for guiding you towards this remarkable sight.

Tickets for Houghton Hall's events can be purchased by calling 01485 528569 from April 21 to October 31. More information can also be found on their website at houghtonhall.com.