Are you in another place?

My wife and I recently dropped the kids off at school and had a sneaky day out on our own. It was Rachel's birthday and, much to the bemusement of our children, we decided to celebrate with a day at the seaside. Picnic packed, we jumped in our VW Camper and set off for Another Place.

Anthony Gormley's Another Place exhibition was completed in 2003 at Crosby Beach just north of Liverpool. It is a collection of 100 cast iron sculptures of the sculptor's own body dotted across the beach, looking out to sea. As the tide flows in and out, these iron 'people' can be seen fully exposed or submerged to the point where only their heads crop out above the water. It makes for an extremely eerie but contemplative place.

Although each 'person' was made from the same cast, they seem to have unique nuances that make them very different from the next 'person'. Each seems to have its own personality, some with barnacles or corrosion, others with underwear painted on by a visitor. One had a piece of ribbon on his hand with a deflated balloon attached, like a lonely last guest at some forgotten party.

Gormley's 'people' stand at least 50 metres from each other - and although they are all facing the same direction, they seem to be in silent communication with each other. Like there's some silent ESP going on that is on a wavelength that only 'they' can hear, evolved over time to cope with an existence of being rooted to a particular 'place'.

Looking out to sea towards the horizon has a profound impact on most people - the feeling of insignificance against a huge timeless ocean, the metaphor of time created by the relentless tide, the amazement that something as vast can exist but not have been explored by mankind. But to stand along side 100 cast iron figurines having the same thoughts seems to really amplify your thoughts.

As we walked amongst the 'people', noticing their individuality, it got me thinking about the interpersonal skills that real people have:

You have to interact with the people around you and share your thoughts - taking time out to be silent and stare out to sea from time to time is great in short doses but you can't distance yourself from others. Take more time to meet new people and engage the people you know. Interacting improves your interpersonal communication and helps you to refine and re-define the thoughts you have when you're on your own.

Being yourself is really important - despite the monotonous tide that life sometimes throws at us, taking time out to be individual is important as it helps you stand out and improve the way you interact with others. If you try to be like everybody else, you'll make as much impact as everybody else (or maybe less). Even if your difference is just the odd barnacle here or there, it's the fact it makes you stand out that matters.