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Next Two Projects Chosen for London's Fourth Plinth

By ARTINFO

Published: June 23, 2008
LONDON—Mayor Boris Johnson has chosen artworks by British sculptor Antony Gormley and London-born, Nigeria-raised Yinka Shonibare as the next to occupy Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth, according to the Associated Press.

Gormley's work, entitled One and the Other, will consist of members of the public standing atop the plinth 24 hours a day for 100 days. Each person will take a one-hour shift.

Shonibare will install Nelson's Ship in a Bottle, a replica of the ship of Admiral Horatio Nelson, the HMS Victory. The sculpture's sails will be made from African-inspired textiles bought in London's Brixton street market. Trafalgar square was named for Nelson's 1805 victory over the French and Spanish, and a statue of the admiral stands permanently atop a column in the middle of the square.

Of the projects, Mayor Johnson said, "I am very excited about the prospect of real people standing on the plinth...and I think it is an incredible idea to have a modern depiction of Nelson's boat that will be gazed upon by a statue of the great admiral himself."

Public artworks have been displayed on the empty fourth plinth since 1999. Gormley's work will be the next, though no dates have been set.

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