The Fourth Plinth

[Ghoulish Delight]

Trafalgar Square in London is home to 4 large plinths. Three of them have statues of various historical British figures. The 4th was supposed to be home to a statue of William the IV, but funding ran out. Subsequently, no one managed to agree on what to put there, so it remained empty. In modern times it's become a platform (literally) for a rotating array of public art (when we visited this piece (http://thepoormouth.blogspot.com/2007/11/model-for-hotel-2007.html) was there).

The current project is kinda cool. The artist has invited people to volunteer to be living art. Each volunteer gets 1 hour on the plinth, to do as they please (as long as it's legal). Props are allowed and encouraged.

A live stream of the plinth can be seen at the artist's group website (http://thepoormouth.blogspot.com/2007/11/model-for-hotel-2007.html). If the live stream is boring (it seems too often to be someone sitting and reading a book), here's (http://www.skyarts.co.uk/art-design/article/antony-gormleys-one-other) a selection of videos of the more interesting bits so far.

So what would you do for an hour? I'd like to think I could come up with something clever, possibly involving an easel and a large notepad. But more than likely the most creative thing I'd come up with would be to bring a sketch pad and draw for an hour.

I would however love to see Chris do a 1 hour course on mixology while up there.

[Alex]

I'd probably lie down and try to be really hard to be seen. While I've most moved on my intense juvenile stage fright I still don't like knowing that I'm on camera. And I only become really comfortable if there's a lot of immediate feedback. Though maybe I'd hold up a sign saying "Is your job/life so boring that you have nothing better to do than watch me hold this sign?"

But I do love that fourth plinth. It is such a classical environment that when they put something unabashedly modern up (as was the case when we were there last October) there it gives an added layer that's nice.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Wait, you were there last October? That's when we were there. I wonder, not knowing the exact dates you were there, how close we came to crossing paths.



ETA: "not" <--- you dropped this

[Alex]

If I recall right, I don't believe we were there at the same time. We were really only in London for a day and a half (October 10 and 11). It was a layover on our way to Rome.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Ah yes, that does sound familiar. And it was September we were there, not October, now that I think about it.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Oops, just noticed the bad link in my OP.

Correct link to the live feed (http://www.oneandother.co.uk/)

[Moonliner]

Hummm..


Setup a scope with a good filter and project a large image of the sun onto a large white paper sheet.

[lashbear]

I'd probably do Corn Dog Masterclasses.