Antony Gormley first studied archeology and anthropology at Trinity College, Cambridge University, before he studied art. From 1981, Gormley began to produce sculpture using casts made from his own body. The figure in this work lying spread-eagled on the ground is a cast taken of Gormley himself. Usually Gormley makes a plaster cast and after reinforcing it with fiberglass, encloses the entire piece in thin sheets of lead. But this work is cast in iron. The figure is devoid of any facial features and individuality, becoming a universal character.