January 2009

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It was announced yesterday that installations by Antony Gormley and Yinka Shonibare are the next projects to grace the fourth plinth, replacing Thomas Schutte’s neon coloured Model for a Hotel 2007. Gormley’s proposal, entitled One and Other, will see the plinth occupied by members of the public for one hour at a time over 100 consecutive days, enabling some 2,400 volunteers to participate. This human installation will be followed by Shonibare’s scale replica of Nelson’s ship, HMS Victory, with sails made from African textiles bought in London's Brixton market. The model ship will sit inside a giant glass bottle, gleaming in the light.

Gormley’s proposal is a curious idea, but one notable for its novelty rather than its depth I think. Gormley explained his concept saying, ‘Through elevation onto the plinth and removal from common ground, the body becomes a metaphor, a symbol, and allows us to reflect on the diversity, vulnerability and particularity of the individual in contemporary society.’ I’m not immediately clear in what ways the body is a metaphor or a symbol. As for diversity and vulnerability, I think these – and many other human characteristics – are fairly evident when simply sitting opposite a row of commuters on the tube or standing in a supermarket queue. I suspect, therefore, that the results of the experiment will be far more immediate to the volunteers having to occupy a potentially long and lonely hour on the plinth. Elevated from the pointing crowds, they will indeed become a spectacle, but their insights about human nature and isolation are likely to be a lot more vivid than the glimpses of a passing spectator. If the project could somehow document the experiences of the volunteers it would surely contain some interesting fodder.

I initially quite liked the idea of Shonibare’s ship but thinking it through I’m not sure I entirely get it. I can understand that the African textile sails reference multiculturalism and it’s a nice enough idea, but I’m confused about the relationship of this theme with Nelson. Yes, the model of Nelson's ship will sit below Nelson's column, but beyond this I'm all at sea. If anyone out there can enlighten me, I would be happy to hear your thoughts.

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