'A nest and a trap': sculptor Gormley unveils Brooklyn installation, funded by K-pop band

(Reuters) - British sculptor Antony Gormley unveiled a sprawling aluminum art installation called “New York Clearing” to the public under a gray sky in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday, as part of a global public art project funded by South Korean pop band BTS.

“It’s a bit rainy...But at the same time, these curves of metal catch whatever available light there is,” said Gormley, who encourages people to explore the work rather than just look, unlike most sculptures which are strictly off-limits.

“This is an invitation. It’s just a way of making a kind of, what is it, somewhere between a nest and a trap that reacts to the conditions, both human and atmospheric,” he said.

Gormley’s piece at Brooklyn Bridge Park is part of “Connect, BTS,” spanning across five cities: London, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Seoul and New York. The exhibit will be on display through March 27.

“This is our final chapter and culmination of ‘Connect, BTS’ project,” Connect, BTS Artistic Director Daehyung Lee said. “But I wish this is the beginning of our collective initiative to awaken our forgotten sensorium, to value diversity, to understand from people around the world.”

Gormley, born in 1950, won the Turner Prize in 1994 and is probably best known for his 20-meter (66-feet) high public “Angel of the North” sculpture located near Newcastle in northern England.