Tuesday 18 February 2014

Fourth Plinth

The fourth plinth in London's Trafalgar Square was supposed to hold an equestrian statue but lack of funding meant that it lay empty of 150 years.   In 1999 the marvellous idea of  using it for contemporary art was started and different pieces have appeared on it over the years.  On the 25 July 2013 the latest occupant was unveiled -  Hahn/Cock by the German artist Katharina Fritsch. This vivid ultramarine bird would brighten up any day and stands out against the surrounding buildings of grey Portland Stone.  I like the whimsy of the installation being in a city square and nowhere near a farmyard.   I also think that Fritsch is having a little joke in that the cockerel is a French national symbol, and here it is popping up in Trafalgar Square whose name and statue of Lord Nelson commemorates the British naval battle against the French in the Napoleonic Wars. 
The forth plinth is always a lure for the photographer and it is a must to check the camera shot.
"All right, Mr DeMille I'm ready for my close up"
Here is a different occupant of the Fourth Plinth (left of the fountain) who has gone with the naval theme of the square.
This is "Nelson's Ship in a Bottle" by Yinka Shonibare which lived on the plinth from May 2010-2012.  A perfect replica of HMS Victory, apart from the sails of Indonesian batik.   This material was originally mass produced by Dutch traders and sold in West Africa and today it is associated with African dress.  As a black British artist Shonibare is mixing the traditional ship in a bottle with batik sails to comment and meditate on colonialism, industrialisation and emigration.  It certainly struck a chord with the British public because when it was rumoured that on its removal from the plinth it was going to be sold to Korea money was raised to keep it in England and today it is installed outside the National Maritime Museum.  This is a happy coincidence because I'm staying nearby there next month when I hope to get a better photograph.  I struggled with both the sun and the hight to get much of the intricate details in this one.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at F here
    

12 comments:

Carver said...

These are wonderful shots. I wish my father was alive to see the cock. He had several sabbaticals in England and enjoyed the time he lived there. I was in high school for the first one and loved getting to spend 3 months there with my family. My Dad was an Episcopalian clergyman and his love of roosters stemmed in part from the the cock on the weather vane on top of his Church. After he died I ended up with a big collection because through the years his friends would give him various ornamental roosters. This post reminded me of my Dad in a fun way. Carver, ABCW-Team

Roger Owen Green said...

That cock is a conversation piece!
ROG, ABCW

Rajesh said...

Great shots of the place. Very unique statue.

Gattina said...

Interesting ! I haven't seen that when I was there in August !
Gattina
ABC team

Lisa said...

FASCINATING! I'm sure the juxtaposition of the statue in that location is not lost on those with a background in French/German history!

Jo said...

What great photos, I always find it fun to discover something new on the plinth for the first time

SamuraiFrog said...

I am in love with that blue rooster.

photowannabe said...

Totally fascinating. The blue rooster and the gray buildings are a perfect historical photo opp.

Gerald (SK14) said...

A French cock under Nelson's gaze - how cosmopolitan we have become.

magiceye said...

Very interesting.
When we were there in March last year there was a statue of a boy on a rocking horse.

Leslie: said...

Is it going to be there permanently? If so, I must stop by to view it next time I'm there.

Leslie
abcw team

Joy said...

No unfortunately its not permanent Leslie. There will be something new on the plinth in 2015 which will either be a riderless horse or a thumbs up, not sure which will go up first.