One and other
Review by Athena Kugblenu
When Antony Gormley first announced his plans for the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, I was both intrigued and confused. I was intrigued by the logistics, the unpredictability and motivation for such an endeavour. I was confused by its irrelevance. We live in a digital age where user generated content rules the internet. The most popular television shows are mostly opportunities for people to demonstrate how bad they are at things they really want to do. The idea of a soapbox for Britain is tried, tested and old.
A scour of blogs and art reviews reveal that this project divides opinion. It is seen as futile and genius in equal measures. It is a display cabinet for the spectacle of Great Britain that currently generates more interest than the National Gallery, the display cabinet for some of the finest art in Europe. Nicholas Penny, Director of the National, has even had a go.
It took a while to win me over. Too many people have ‘Hello, I’m on the plinth!’ conversations on their mobile phones. The charitable awareness raising fails to divert me. Even so, I now think that One and Other is great. Not because of the concept, but its execution.
Firstly, it really is a snapshot of Great Britain. Anybody can apply, but ‘plinthers’ are selected to ensure that all eventual 2400 participants are from an even spread of the British Isles. They travel from all corners of the country at their own expense and are told to exist for 60 minutes in front of the world. They can do anything once upon the plinth, as long as it is legal. But really, this misses the point. The plinth is not about what people do, it is about who people are.
