Havmannen

About

Havmannen, or Havmann (in English: "The Man from the Sea"), is a granite stone sculpture by the English artist Antony Gormley located in the city of Mo i Rana in northern Norway. The sculpture stands in the "Ranfjord" in the city, which is often referred to in Norway as "Polarsirkelbyen" (in English: the "Arctic Circle City"). The sculpture is 11 metres (36 ft) tall, weighs 60 tonnes (59 long tons; 66 short tons), and according to Lonely Planet is "forever up to his knees in water, turns his back on the town and gazes resolutely out over the fjord".

The artist originally envisaged the sculpture being created in steel, based on the traditional steel industry which was one of the pillars of industrial Mo i Rana, and placed in the fjord to illustrate the sharp contrasts between nature and industry. However, the local industry was undergoing major changes at the time, with what was effectively state subsidized and unprofitable factories being closed down, including the local steel works. Realizing the project using local steel therefore became impossible.

As a result, Havmann was to become Gormley's first large stone sculpture. The sculpture was created and erected in the Ranfjord in 1995...