Sir Antony Gormley 'thrilled' by sculpture's fall into bay

Sir Antony Gormley has welcomed the felling of one of his cast iron sculptures into the sea, calling it proof of its "dynamic relationship with the forces of nature".

The artwork at Clavell Tower, Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset, toppled off the rocks following a storm last week.

"The core of this project was to expose the works to the elements - that's exactly what happened," he said.

Work is still continuing to reinstate the sculpture.

The life-sized figure was part of a commission entitled "Land", created to mark 50 years of UK building conservation charity Landmark Trust.

It weighs more than a tonne and was supposed to remain in place until May 2016.

Sir Antony said: "I'm thrilled that the work has remained intact and attached to its base while fully indicating the power of last week's storm.

"I want the work to have a dynamic relationship with the forces of nature; it has and will again."

Caroline Stanford, of the trust, described it as a "hugely challenging site on a boulder-strewn beach that regularly experiences extreme weather conditions".

"We are very sad this sculpture has been toppled, however, it was erected by specialist engineers who are working hard to provide a technical solution to re-erect and protect it, and to get it re-installed as soon as possible," she said.

She said it was "absolutely intended to have a relationship with the landscape and the elements, and that has certainly been the case at this exposed stretch".

"It's only possible to work at low tide, but we are doing everything we can to get the figure safely back in position."

Other statues in the series stand at Lengthsman's Cottage, Lowsonford, in Warwickshire, Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel, Martello Tower, Aldeburgh, in Suffolk, and Saddell Bay, Mull of Kintyre, in Scotland.