Friday, September 18, 2009

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square is a very popular English tourist attraction, specifically the 4th plinth. From 1841 until 1999 there was nothing on the Fourth Plinth in the north-west of Trafalgar Square, and it was sometimes referred to as the 'empty plinth'.



This summer, sculptor Antony Gormley invites you to help create an astonishing living monument. He is asking the people of the UK to occupy the empty Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square in London, a space normally reserved for statues of Kings and Generals, in an image of themselves, and a representation of the whole of humanity. Every hour, 24 hours a day, for 100 days without a break, different people will make the Plinth their own. If you’re selected, you can use your time on the plinth as you like – to demonstrate, to perform, or simply to reflect. One & Other is open to anyone and everyone from any corner of the UK. As long as you’re 16 or over and are living, or staying, in the UK, you can apply to be part of this unforgettable artistic experiment. Participants will be picked at random, chosen from the thousands who will enter, to represent the entire population of the UK. The rules are simple: you must stand on the plinth alone, for the whole hour; you can do whatever you want, provided it’s legal; and you can take anything with you that you can carry.
http://www.london.gov.uk/fourthplinth/plinth/gormley.jsp






We caught the ending of one such "performance"-- a birthday celebration it appeared to be,




and the beginning of another -- a woman taking pictures of people taking pictures of her.















2 comments:

Nathan said...

This is so weird, it's like I've been to all these places. Thanks for the description of the 4th Plinth. I was so confused by the turban guy with paper airplanes. Also, your hotel looks great, I looked hard for an "American" sized hotel room with two double beds. We ended up at the Holiday Inn Mayfair, it was a good location, but I wish the room had been a little nicer. You got some great pictures. I especially like the picture of the Emirates jumbo jet with Emirates on the bottom. Your line at customs was much longer than mine. I got in at about 10 or 11 am on a Friday and I waited maybe 30 minutes in the customs line. Glad you had fun and I can't wait to see pictures of Paris.

Janice said...

The hotel was formerly a Holiday Inn I believe and was bought by Crowne Plaza and refurbed. It wasn't too expensive either. Average 134 euros a night. It was right across the street from the Gloucester Road station and a supermarket which was nice. Post office next door too. We had a studio in Paris near the Louvre. There were 3 adults so it made it nice to have the larger rooms. I have Paris pics up now on photobucket http://s116.photobucket.com/albums/o30/janrey_photo/Paris/?albumview=slideshow and will get to doing some blogging on it soon. Got some funny things to say about the statues in the Louvre.