Goodbye from Antony
I am very proud of what we have done together - shown that it is possible to realise something that is not strictly necessary but is nevertheless monumental, something that celebrates us as individuals and a collective.
In the process of this vigil we have made a portrait of now and maybe got a sense of who we are, what we care about and perhaps where we are headed. Art should be for everyone: this was an experiment to see whether everyone could be involved in making it.
Now that the 2400 hours of self-exposure have come to an end, I want to thank everyone who took part, and everyone who has followed the course of the project over the past few months. To our plinthers, thanks to you all for your endurance, inventiveness, commitment, sense of fun and adventure, willingness to test your own limits, steadfastness in the face of public barracking, bravery in the dark and rain, and most of all for being yourselves for everyone.
We always knew that these islands harbour a rich appreciation and tolerance of a wide range of behaviour, and the plinth has been a unique celebration of that. I am inspired and given hope by what we have done. Thank you for being part of One & Other.
- Antony Gormley
In the process of this vigil we have made a portrait of now and maybe got a sense of who we are, what we care about and perhaps where we are headed. Art should be for everyone: this was an experiment to see whether everyone could be involved in making it.
Now that the 2400 hours of self-exposure have come to an end, I want to thank everyone who took part, and everyone who has followed the course of the project over the past few months. To our plinthers, thanks to you all for your endurance, inventiveness, commitment, sense of fun and adventure, willingness to test your own limits, steadfastness in the face of public barracking, bravery in the dark and rain, and most of all for being yourselves for everyone.
We always knew that these islands harbour a rich appreciation and tolerance of a wide range of behaviour, and the plinth has been a unique celebration of that. I am inspired and given hope by what we have done. Thank you for being part of One & Other.
- Antony Gormley
151 Responses
leave a responseThis has been an amazing project to watch. Viewing from California (USA), I have mainly seen the late night plinthers. They stood up there for their hour even when there appeared to be almost no one in the square to cheer them on. While I loved seening the goofy plinthers and (or) the plinthers with causes (I think the Time Warp fits both), I felt most connected with the ones simply holding vigil for themselves or others, silent in their presence. Thank you to all, for connecting the world to this project.
A big thanks to Antony the creator of 2400 dreams now fullfilled.
It's been a great project, really brought Trafalgar Square to life for the summer. It has been like the plinth has been the beating heart of the square, beating hourly.
I've spent so much more time in the square because of it and seen a lot of non plinth things going on as well because of it.
My favourite bits are the guy with a large mirror, reflecting the square and people going to work (I thought that was inspirerd) and the mad hatter, not for his awful juggling, but for the white rabbit hopping around the square, being chased by the heritage wardens for skinny dipping in the fountain.
I started watching after listening to the BBC's world service reporter mention that he was a plinther...I'm going to miss it when it is over.
I wished I lived in the UK to have a chance at it. I was fantasizing what would I have done if I had an opportunity to be a plinther...being an Aussie, perhaps a BBQ, or something Chinese as I live in Hong Kong.
Thank you to all the plinthers who brought this project to life. And all those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. Absolutely the highlight of the last few months watching from here in America. And the project finally inspired me to visit London! Loved seeing the plinth and the way it brought London together. Will never forget dancing with strangers in Trafalgar in the middle of the night...all thanks to One & Other.
Will miss One & Other dearly! Thank you all!!!
As someone who was up there in the dark and the rain I'd like to thank Anthony for this project, as well as all the organisers, staff and security and of course those people that watched and were therefore also part of One & Other.
I was a Plinther in Week 6, Wednesday 12 August. An amazing experience, one I'll always remember and be grateful that I had the opportunity.
I was well out of my comfort zone as others who know me would testify.
Thank you Antony, and thank you to the crew who were so helpful on the day I became a living statue on the 4th Plinth.
Thank you to Antony and to all the team, crew and most especially all the other 2399 Plinthers. The diversity and wealth of life was remarkable. I loved my time and experience on the 4th Plinth, it is a marker in my life.
Franny Zorbak - Tuesday 1st September 4-5pm if anyone wants to take a look and maybe learn a little BSL finger-spelling... Thanks all.
An amazing experience that has shown how great is the desire to be in touch with each other, for the mobile phone has been the instant fall back for so many plinthers.Now that the live plinthers are done, it is time to consider a longer lasting venture and that can only be a Gormley piece. Thanks for the ride.
Chris McDonnell
Web cams – especially in bustling markets and streets – 'connect with the world' - and are, in general much more interesting. There's only so many balloons people can watch after all.
Thanks everyone- I had a great time and would happily participate in other daft schemes of Gormleys...I know several insomniacs who will miss the all night spectacle.
You had an idea and we have helped you make it real.
It's been a blast. Signing off.
My hour at 2pm on Sunday 9th August was a truly wonderful experience for me, my family and evidently the many people who almost every day contact me or stop me at trade events to say "Well Done" or "How did it feel to be up on the Fourth Plinth?" Anyway Anthony, Thank you for having the idea and thank you all the sponsors for adding something truly unique to my life.
I was very happy to be part of this ever so slightly eccentric project.
It was very British, and quite frankly often an experiment in displaying a random selection of unexpectedly large egos and occasional mental health problems, with the odd good cause and moment of brilliance thrown in.
The very fact that people from cross the UK would have to meet their own expenses, yet you still managed to fill every place, reassures me that our society isn't entirely selfish and jaded.
Thank you very much for this.
I was also a plinther in September (22nd, 6 'til 7 PM) but I was slightly different....I don't have any legs from the knees down and I spent my hour up in the rarified air of the plinth sat in a wheelchair!!
Sadly, an hour after coming down, I suffered a heart attack and spent 9 days in hospital and I was too ill to come down for the final few hours, so I can only thank Antony, and his team, in giving me this once in a lifetime chance to show the world...and my family...that, even though you're disabled, you can still crush ones own fears and be as good as anyone!
My thank's to all for giving me a lifelong memory and something for my grandchildren, et al, to remember me by.
Garry Hickmann
I was on the plinth on 16th September, 7pm. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my entire life and I just wanted to say thankyou to Antony for the fabulous idea, to the other 2399 plinthers and to the ground crew who made the whole experience wonderful.
Bye bye One and Other, you were spectacular xx
Thanks for the Plinth!
I think this is a seminal work.
I went to the square just to see it for myself & surprised myself by feeling like one of the figures from the "Field" with my head uplifted.
Watched on line quite a bit too, Thanks again you have captured UK today & it is a place of HOPE
I was very lucky to be a plinther in this final week. I managed to write and record a song while I was up there (if you need a theme tune let me know!). It was one of those rare experiences that absolutely lived up to every one of my expectations. A great idea, a great team behind it all. Fantastic!
Friday August 28th 7to 8pm. Thankyou Angel Anthony for my most wonderful hour. xtine x
As a plinther, I have been following this project day by day, and am sad to see it end. I had a fabulous hour on the plinth and will remember it for the rest of my life. Thanks Antony Gormley - I feel lucky to have been part of your vision. What a fantastic portrait of the nation.
2400 people had a great time and thousands more had an excellent time watching.
Good art improves with age and I know the One & Other material will be even better to look back on - keep the website and videos available!
Thanks to Anthony and to every person that played a part in making it happen.
so the cherry picker finally arrives without a plinther - the project is over, but the memories will be with us forever. Well done everyone.
Huge thanks back to Antony Gormley for making this possible, I was a Plinther in August and will always remember the experience. Sorry I can't be there for the final day, but I am busy lecturing on Art, which is also what I did on the Plinth! Art must go on! The overwhelming positivity of One and Other has lifted my year, and clearly it has for many many others. It was all about connecting, and we definitely connected.
I was extremely lucky to be chosen for this project, and it was a fantastic experience! It just shows that everybody can make their mark in history, by just being themselves. I thought it was fantastic that the rules were simple. The crew of the project were absolutely fantastic, and they deserve a big mention. Good luck to all my fellow 'Plinthers' in the future, the crew and of course Antony Gormley! Thank you, so much.
I'm sad now it's finished, (but hope to be able to watch some of the videos again, of people I couldn't watch live).
What a great finale from Burnse! Very moving; so good to see Antony G there to welcome her.
Thank you One and Other, all of you.
Hurray. Sob. And many thanks to Antony Gormley and crew for an amazing experience. x
I was hoping to meet you on Wednesday but instead watched online. My hour on the plinth was one I will never forget. I admire your vision and am looking forward to seeing the next phase of this project. Thank you for allowing us to become a part of this. History in the making.
I had a ball up there, making a giant paperchain (link from plinther to rest of the world below!) and dancing - from midnight on 12th September. It felt like I was on top of a mountain; there was a fresh breeze, I felt so FREE. I wanted to stay up there for ever. I am so lucky...
To the artist, the plinthers, the watchers and the dancers, an enormous thank you. I moved to London in June and, through watching you all, I have fallen mightily in love with this country and this city. It has been a powerful, provoking and emotional experience, and I shall miss your inspired presence in the square deeply. A hearty round of applause is owed to everyone.
Thank you to Anthony for thinking of this crazy idea. The staff at the Square were wonderful and remarkably chipper at 2am so well done to all involved.
My hour seems like a distant memory already as I was on in the second week but the comments from friends and family still continue and the reactions are so different it's certainly a source of conversation and will be so for many years. What an experience!
I had not realised this was the final moment, but something made me go online at the right time. It was such a shock to to see the cherry picker rise with only one person, the crew member.
There is a huge sense of emptiness in this first half hour seeing the plinth without a human being on it. The contrast shows how the project was such an affirmation of life, energy, bravery, communication and, of course, creativity.
We were in London for a week in early September so we came relatively late to the project as observers. But viewing online from home in Berkeley, California, was a wonderful way to experience this amazing project. Even tried calling some of the participants who published numbers. I wish I could have been up there. Congratulations to all who participated: the energetic, the entertaining, the contemplative, the artistic, and yes, even the painfully boring. You have participated in a historic event that sadly had to end. Thank you Antony!
We were in London for a week in early September so we came relatively late to the project as observers. But viewing online from home in Berkeley, California, was a wonderful way to experience this amazing project. Even tried calling some of the participants who published numbers. I wish I could have been up there. Congratulations to all who participated: the energetic, the entertaining, the contemplative, the artistic, and yes, even the painfully boring. You have participated in a historic event that sadly had to end. Thank you Antony!
Hello, thanks for a great project. I have enjoyed nearly every minute of it (other than the wasted hours - not the quiet contemplations, these were really relaxing, I mean those who did nothing positive - the Trafalgar Squares).
I desperately wanted to be selected, but in a way I had my plinth moment, just thinking about what I would do there if I had my hour, experiencing pleasure (and fear) in my mind. You would have really enjoyed it. Ah well, maybe next time.
Mr Gormley, thank you for having the idea, you have created a monument that will last forever, not only in the national archives but in the fokelore of the families involved, a story to be passed down through generations to come.
Thank you, one and all. My experience on the plinth (4pm 10/11/09) will live with me forever, it has been very hard to describe to people how it felt because it was so unique, a completely liberating and amazing experience. I wanted to stay up there forever. I will miss the live stream (in fact I feel quite bereft that I will not be able to sign on and watch when I have a spare minute), and the window on trafalgar square, not only the plinthers but the crowds as well. The idea that 2400 total strangers are now connected, for all time, is quite a staggering thought and it was art that brought them together.
Dear Antony,
I plinthed (!) on Friday October 2nd, and the opportunity gave me a unique perspective from which to draw people in Trafalgar Square, nevermind exhibit some artwork to all of London and beyond.
I've since been invited to take part in AIR Open Dialogue event in Nottingham next month, to discuss my experience on the plinth, and I'm about to be interviewed again for BBC Radio Lincolnshire.
It's very tricky trying to carve a career in the arts as a lone parent - I often have to miss things due to lack of childcare, for instance, tomorrow evening I have to miss out on the Private View for Magne Furuholmen's Alpha Beta exhibition at Paul Stolper Gallery, because I simply can't get down to London, and it's a school night. I will go and see it next month though. As such I try to make the most of opportunities such as this, to grab whatever opportunities come my way and make the very best of them.
Thankyou Antony for showing a wide range of people that art is important, that it's not as exclusive as many people believe. I hope it encourages more people to engage with the art world!
This also marks a huge turning point in your practice ;-)
Kind regards
Helen (Blackbird)
Dear Gary (Hickman - a plinther on September 22nd, 6 'til 7 PM). I spoke to you from below on 22nd as I was a 'wannabe plinther' having previously applied. I have MS and use a wheelchair occasionally and I asked you to give my love to my mother (if you remember). You were absolutely charming and sympathetic and totally lovely. I did go to your website for Help the Heroes and something didnt work. I will return to it as it is such a good cause and you championed it so well.
I loved Gormley's OneandOther project and having just watched the ending saw your message this morning. I am so glad to hear that you made a recovery from your heart attack and wish you well for the future. Your grandchildren will be very proud of you.
Love from Geraldine (and my mum) xx
Thank you for giving so many 'ordinary' people the opportunity to be part of a national event. My hour on 24/9 and all the preparations that went into making it possible will be a treasured memory for a long time.
Many many thanks also to all the support team who helped make this whole event such a success.
I came, I saw, I plinthed at 1pm on the 23rd July. It was a truly amazing experience and it was fantastic to be a small part of a live art project.
Brilliant, really enjoyed it. My only disappointment is that I was not chosen to be on the plinth, along with 32,119 others.
Hi Anthony,
I am also proud of what we all achieved. Thank you for the opportunity. Is it in your power to make sure that plinthers all get a copy of their recording?
To my fellow plinthers... You were fantastic, I salute you :)
cheers
Myles
On the plinth Friday October 2nd 3pm
http://www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Mylo
Week 5, 6th August 1pm. Making my dress for the plinth has totally changed my preception of myself, where I come from and how we end up who we are, it was a reflection of what makes us who we are and I utterly loved doing it.
Thankyou for a great experience, it's sounds crazy but it does change you.
xx
I too plinthed, am thankful to you personally Antony, and to all who helped make this life affirming project possible, and wonder if this marvellous project could have a global dimension. Why not a plinth at the UN, on which people from all around the world could have their hour, as those of us lucky enough to have been selected have done in London?
I have tuned in often as possible to see the goings-on thousands of miles away (from CA) and have so enjoyed the project. I shall really miss it now that it has ended. Too bad it isn't a yearly event, as I would LOVE to apply myself and plan to be in London to do it. What a fabulous experience that would be! Who Knows?
Thank you for the chance to make an absolute tit of myself. It was Brilliant!
What a wonderful 100 days. I used to watch the plinthers from my desk at work....not all the time. Now I will have to get on with what I am paid for! I was not brave enough to put my name forward but saluate those who did.
I have watched religiously from Cleveland, Ohio in the US. It has been an amazing journey. Thank you for not only bringing a unique form of art to us all, but the opportunity to connect to London daily. I will miss it all.
I loved my time up there - Sunday 11 Oct 11pm. It was the last hour of my birthday and a complete contrast to my birthday last year when I was in hospital waiting for a lung transplant.
I know that people have signed up to the organ donor register as a direct result of seeing me up there. This project really might save lives - how cool is that!
https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/ukt/default.jsp
And a few more people have heard of my rare lung disease.
Thanks Anthony and to all the team. FANTASTIC
A massive thank you to you Antony and everyone who made this happen. (The team in the hut were AMAZING)
I've learnt a lot about myself from the experience and a lot about how other people approach these opportunities.
I will draw on this experience throughout my life to further strengthen my belief that everyOne is worthwhile. We should not value any One life above anOther.
I tuned into the website once a day. Well done, Anthony.
I stumbled upon this project on July 6. It has been a part of my daily life. I am going to miss the wonderful Plinthers, glorious English accents, and the charm of London. Thank You All.
Thank you Anthony for having the idea and to the whole team who made it happen.
I was on the plinth in week 13. It was an amazing experience which I will never forget.
My 'high' continues as I am still getting so much positive feedback from people who have been housebound with M.E. for years and who felt proud to be represented and connected to the plinth.
Thank you Antony. I really enjoyed being myself in such a public arena. I still get a buzz everytime I think of it.
My hour and everything surrounding it challenged and changed me and I'm sure the piece will go on doing the same for individuals involved. People will continue interacting with the thing for a long time to come, use it as a base from which to create new things, and it's just wonderful to have have been a part of that.
Thank you so much to everyone involved in making this happen!
- Anna (9th July 4am)
Thank you Antony and thank you to those behind the scenes people! It was an awesome experience to be a part of.
A fantastic experience. My thanks especially to the brilliant and engaging folks who managed the event. I've blogged about my time at http://blogs.amnesty.org.uk/blogs_entry.asp?eid=3962
I have just got back from the end party at Trafalgar Square!
Please let me say thank you to all the crew as well as of course Anthony Gormley for making this a truly memorable occasion. I was one of the lucky ones picked out of the hat to go a Plinthing and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
Although it wasn’t the main topic of my conversation with the planet, I had to ask the question when I was up there, was in fact art? As some who does the odd bit of drawing and following various discussions with my friend who is an architect, I had to.
In this age of almost anything being past off as art, people were being given the opportunity and the stage to just be there, be creatively or even highlight an issue that was close to their hearts, but was it art?
In my opinion I think yes, as it was a total performance piece, a snap shot that represents these lands and its peoples and it ended up being at the very least, enthralling entertainment and entertainment certainly comes under the banner of art.
But much more than this, it showcased to the world what a diverse and wonderfully creative and passionate place these lands are populated with, a set of peoples that don’t take themselves too seriously whilst at the same time getting up and giving it a go. So yes I believe it was art and am grateful to be given the chance to be part of it.
Well done to all the Plinthers and the passers-by who also added to this unique artistic piece.
watched if from afar and on a visit to London, it brought added character to trafalgar ...would be great to repeat it sometime!
This project has been truly incredible. I watched with fascination for 3 months as so many varied and amazing people represented themselves on the plinth. I watched with mounting anticipation for the last month, after I found out I'd got a plinth slot on 8th October. My hour on the plinth was the most liberating, exciting and fun experience I could imagine! Who'd have thought that I could get 20 people doing the hokey cokey in Trafalgar Square!?!
I threw an event on the plinth, but equally fascinating were those who just contemplated life; really showed the diversity of people's interests, important things and passions.
Great project, but please don't repeat it, it wouldn't be the same again! Looking forward to seeing the archives we all recorded...
Passer-by
Looks
Intuitively -
No-one's
There!
Hereon
Thank you for giving me the one moment of true freedom I have have ever had in my whole life.
As a Plinther who was lucky enough to be able to go up as one of the last to appear I would like to record my thanks the organisers and particularly the staff who were unfailingly friendly and helpful. The was in many ways a brave project as it involved considerable trust by the organisers and the authorities who have to regulate such events in the people who wished to apply, and those who did appear. To arrive and not to have been asked what I intended to do until that point illustrates this point well. Considerable thought and debate must have gone on in the planning stages to be able to bring this project to such a successful conclusion, as often the case, it is not so much what did take place on and around the Plinth, but what did not, and thus allowed it to be such a success. This has been a remarkable project and the cause of much pleasure and debate to many. My thanks to Anthony Gormley for thinking it up and all those who made it possible.
I've not twittered or looked much at the web (the day job keeps me busy) and I felt I was slighlty on the sidelines of the whole experience (where I was happy to be) – apart from my own hour -
http://www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Andrew_H.
But as I work in London I went down there today, if only to see what would happen and to express support for the person with the hard job of ending the project (and I thought she did well). It was more moving thean I thought it would be. Meeting some of the other plinthers was fun – I met the First and Last Plinthers and Godzilla and a near neighbour and others just as worthy but whose names I have forgotten - chatting about our common experience- a group with nothing else in common but that we were there. Getting Antony to sign my t-shirt and being able to thank him personally was also a bonus. And seeing the safety net cut down (for good reasons) was unexpected and really marked the end. I really had to drag myself away to go to work, having taken lots of photos.
Many thanks to the crew; I am sure they looked after the other 2,399 as well as they looked after me. I hope the bereavement is not too great for you.
And thanks to Antony who had the idea and made it real.
And thanks to my fellow plinthers. No more will I wonder, at odd times of day and night “I wonder which poor sod is up there now!”
Superb project and idea. My only regret was not bouncing off the plinth at the end of my stint and not getting to the final plinther today. Good snapshot of Britain all round, I fully expect Lucas and Walliams to have some new characters in their new series!
Oh my word, what an exciting morning on the Square! Ant'ny G arrived at 7.30 on his bike - when Radeeboi pointed him out I sprinted over to shake his hand before the media scrum arrived (nice firm grip). I told him about my hour on the plinth and he politely said he must watch it.
I behaved like a Gormley Groupie, trailing him around and listening to all the interviews he gave to press, TV, radio and by phone to the US. Eventually he wrote his name accross my heart - (thrilling! My O&O T-shirt will never be washed) and even put his arm round me (nice firm grip again) so I could have my photo taken with him.
As the last plinther vacated the plinth, AG looked at it sadly and said "It seems bereft. I am bereft." I bet a lot of people echo that.
It was depressing to see the safety net being cut down before the plinth had even grown cold - I called up to the guy with the cutters to throw me down a piece for a souvenir, which he did (my scrap book is going to be fat).
I gave the O&O cabin crew some mince pies and Holly a sprig of the berried stuff - she is a head-turner, by the way!
It was great to meet so many of the plinthers, bloggers and twecklers - no-one looks like you imagine them. It was like an old school reuinion, with our O&O T-shirts being the uniform. Lovely to meet the first and last plinthers, as well as some of the legendary ones.
By 11am there was one solitary ex-plinther still on the Square - looking solitary - which I guess we all did during one hour of our lives.
When Antony was asked by a journo if it went as he imagined it, he replied "Imagination is one thing - reality is another." Quite. Bless him, with his frayed cuffs and exotic tan ("Just back from China").
The final hour was not as exciting as my own hour on the plinth - but it comes a very close second.
Back to real life, then.
I'm sad it's all over as I enjoyed watching before and after my hour (5am Saturday 5th September) - before thinking "oh my god I can't go up there" and afterwards remembering what an amazing experience it was. How many people can say they have seen their shadow projected onto the wall of the National Gallery, or watched the sun rise over London from such a place? I've made lots of new friends as a result and feel honoured and proud to have been a part of it.
I was hoping to meet you on Wednesday but instead watched online. My hour on the plinth was one I will never forget. I admire your vision and am looking forward to seeing the next phase of this project. Thank you for allowing us to become a part of this. History in the making.
I'll bid you good-day then, I'm off for me tea and biscuits, do get in touch if you need any more.....
A pleasure and a privilege for you to have worked with me.
Seriously - loved every second
peace out.
Martin x
Can I just add, it would be lovely if everyone involved was invited to meet Antony himself and all the plinthers together for a kind of Plinthers party, and the anniversary of the project to be remembered as a National Holiday perhaps - known as "Gormleymas", or more affectionately, "Gormas", when everyone gets the day off to experience and/or get involved in some art, and the project is remembered in Trafalgar Square, instead of remembering war, which is a destructive thing, to remember art, which is a creative thing - that would be truly beautiful.
Is "Plinther", "I plinthed" and "plinthing" going to be in the dictionary???
Hi
I loved my hour on the plinth - Wednesday 5-6pm August 19th!
It is an honour to be one of the lucky 2400!
It's amazing how many people have heard of the project and are very intrigued and interested and I always get questioned about my experience.
Antony has managed to bring Art to many who wouldn't normally consider themselves 'arty'.
Many people have done many wonderful things with their hour - raising awareness, raising money and just putting smiles on people's faces.
We have all, collectively, created a 'buzz' around the world and it feels great!
THANK YOU!
What a great project - feel very lucky to have been a part of it.
Well done to all the plinthers, plinth watchers and organizers.
I'll miss One & Other.
x
Thank you Mr Gormley, it was a honour to take part in One & Other and a pleasure to meet you this morning. My hour on the fourth plinth was an amazing experience and something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. You have achieved something truly remarkable with this project and I am immensely proud of the small contribution I was able to make to it.
I would also like to say a huge thank you all all of the One & Other staff who supported me when I really needed it on August 10th, it made my day when they remembered me this morning!
Love to all xxx
http://www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Rose_Paige
4th Plinth was re-christened on Aug 19th "Cairngormley - the hill formerly known as Plinth", after I used it as a Scottish Mountain top for an hour. Enjoyed my time on the summit, but would never have volunteered if I had seen the standard of the other plinthers in advance. As well I didn't, since it wasn't supposed to be an outdoors X factor. Hope it brightened up the UK in this recession and hope the remarkable crew are all instantly re-employed. They deserve to be.
I have just got home from the last hour on the Plinth and I feel really sad. I've logged and enjoyed all the blogs and Anthony's last words but no live action because that amazing Plinth is now empty. I have to admit to a few tears when they started to take the safety net away...it seemed so final.
I ws Plinther 504, I had an amazing time and made some new friends and it has made this year extra special. God Bless You All.
Any chance of it happening next year????
Loved my hour on the plinth. A particular shout out to the "cabin crew" who made all plinthers feel so welcome and were a very calming influence!
People still keep asking me "How was your Plinth stint?" even though I was one of the early ones, back at the end of July. It's hard to tell them because I don't know what they want.
"It was great," I say, "fun, weird but I enjoyed it." It meant far more to me than merely standing there for an hour, ranting about mental health issues. It meant a wonderful message from my wife, by text and one from my son, stunned when I told him I'd read it out. It meant I was humbled by my daughter, herself unwell and who supported me all the way there, financially and soul-wise. It meant remarkable kindness from the people who sponsored me, Dave, Heidi, Rose and Les. I have quite literally been there and got the T-shirt (as did we all) and now I want to see what else comes out of it, apart from all that camaraderie. I didn't get to meet Antony Gormley but I heard him on The Archers. Art imitating..art? I'm glad I applied. Thank you
We were fantastic all of us. Ignore the numty miseries. We laughed the game, we cried the game, we danced the game, we bubbled the game, we sang the game. WE WON THE GAME!! CHECKMATE!! GAME OVER!!
Thank you for making this project available to those of us beyond your borders. I watched via webcam in Alberta, Canada, tweeted along with others, and happily crossed the pond to visit in person for my birthday! I enjoyed all the variety and representations - it was an amazing project - congratulations to all who participated, supported and cheered along!!!
Fabulous project! I watched many hours and I'm very sorry to see it end. Cheers to all of the "plinthers" for sharing an hour of their lives with the world.
Actually, as an "outsider" from the USA who was actually there each evening in person for roughly the last week, I saw it as a glimpse of real truth. Sure, the complaints are valid (i.e. that most of the time went wasted with unfulfilled promise) but that is exactly what life really is. We all rise to the occasion now and then, but we totally waste the majority of our time here when we think no one else is really watching... When the relentless camera continued on well past the "news worthiness" of the project, we started to see the stark reality that no matter how much we all pretend otherwise, our lives are mostly just a slow and daunting processional towards the same bleak end. And in amongst that inescapable death march we rise above the din now and then and do something worth noticing. But most of the time we collectively do nothing and let time and our lives pass, wasted and lost forever to time and mortality until only a slight ghost of our presence is left behind.
Sorry that so many of you failed to wake up to that truth. Being there in person, but not on the "plinth" itself perhaps allowed me to see it for both the good and bad a bit more clearly than the star-fucker hopefuls who wanted non stop celebrity to appear before their eyes and the stark and bitterly honest desperation of those who were found wanting by those same hopeful and desperate stares. The real story of what was going on was happening off the plinth as well. The sad truth that the homeless folks often gathered there to get a break in their desperately long and lonely days now have to crawl back into their doorways once again alone and without enough reason to reach out and connect to other humans as they did for those 100 nights.
Thanks to Gormley for providing a little truth and a brief respite to the inevitable decline of us all and to share that even among the most ordinary of us all, we can actually rise to the occasion now and then. Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and an opportunity to do something great. Not all will succeed, but it only takes a few to keep us all going a long time into the fray.
I met a beautiful woman at the bottom of the plinth and we have been dating now since August, proof of something, a beautiful project.
I would just like to say a very big thank you to Antony for giving me this wonderful experience.
A fascinating collage of all the qualities that make us human.
Favourites include the scary lady tea party, the big wedding dress man, the "drunk" guy and of course my own plinther Charlotte and her playdough Field for Trafalgar Square http://www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Char-Pretty-Vacant
I have laughed, I have cried, I have text pictures of my cat
Belinda
26th September 9-10am. This experience has changed my life. I, me, this insifgnificant person is part of history.
The words I spoke in my audio interview will be retained for....ever,
My 'performance' on the plinth was and will be seen by ...mill...lots of people. It is overwhelming .
Thank you to AG and especially to all thestaff I came in contact with during my experience. They are the stars.
Well done to the last plinther who carried on through the noise and past the hour until she had named all 96 people she was remembering. I chatted with fellow plinthers, thanked Antony, took photos (a great one of me with The Man thanks Ali) and saw the net coming down. Aww the naked plinth..., it was already surrounded with scaffolding by 12pm when I left the National Gallery. I am so pleased to have lived an hour of my life in such a unique place.
Thank you, Antony Gormley and the team, for an amazing experience. I feel honoured to have had the chance to become a plinther. (28-09-09 at 11pm.)
It was so lovely to come to the Square today, to put faces to names, to chat, to share experiences and to finally mourn the passing of 100 days of interesting, eccentric, baffling, mad, boring and joyous expressions of our own hours! I cannot believe I was so lucky to have been a part of it...I have loved every minute of the time I've been involved...but, hell, what am I going to do with my time now?
Thank you Antony Gormley, and thanks to all of the team who looked after me for my 5am slot. I'm still as excited about this project as I was when I first read about it in March, and just as excited as I was when I opened my invitation to plinth.
Now, how about a reunion? The Plinthers, all together, like the Terracotta Army.
Thank you to everyone involved from the start, which was long before the first hour in July. A lot of people have worked together as a formidable team to produce this amazing artwork from Antony Gormley's idea. The OneandOther project has enhanced the lives of all those involved, both on and off the plinth and it has changed the plinth forever. For me it will never return to just being a huge grey pedestal with art on top.
I really appreciate being one of the 2400 and will treasure my teeshirt and my memories.
I heard talk on the Square today that there is to be a plinthers' reunion on July 6th 2010 at 8 - or was it 9? am....
Thankyou for a wonderful experience. I was so nervous when I went to the Plinth, but 2 mins after entering the cabin, those nerves were gone.
Thanks to everyone involved, The experience will live with me forever. I'm so disappointed I was not able to make the final hour.
Fiona (Ulala - Sept 27th 2-3pm)
Hey plinthing Guys! where have you gone?
The square is feeling lonely
I don't mind being 'put upon'
Better than just me only!
Anthony Gormley - you still rock, despite my performance as part of your One and Other installation. What an experience 48 hours on and I am still buzzing - I think that each city should now do the same a mini plinth - to concentrate the persona of the uk even further -
Congratulations
and the team - THE TEAM
what a team - even at 2am you were still smiling despite youhad been doing it for nearly three months!!! I AM a special person - ha ha ha
Michelle you're a lovely lady, Wellcome are lucky - come and visit Wales our slate and its heritage. Ps the chap with the red paintings - I remembered on the way home Mark Rothko!!!!! tee hee
I am Art ???
Once again thank you all
Esyllt nee plinthEs
thanks for the opportunity to take part and watch all the fellow plinthers.. it was fab and great to be a wee part of art history :-)
Thank you for such a fantastic project. I travelled up twice to see the Plinthers and wasnt disappointed. I checked up daily on the internet in the evenings to see what had happened during the day, and nor did that disappoint. My very favourite has to be the young man who did a Plinth Proposal and of course the girlfriend who said "yes"! This project has affected more than just those who applied for a place, those who have watched on line and in person. Having applied for a place (although not successful) it gave me a little more confidence to think that even I could stand up there for an hour and perhaps strut my stuff! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Yes please to a Terracotta Army of Plinthers!
It was an unforgettable hour. And I shall steal Mr Gormley's words - something that is not strictly necessary but is nevertheless monumental, something that celebrates us as individuals and a collective for he may not realise it but he is talking about motorcycling ;)
http://highwaylass.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-wonderful-world.html
Thank you to you all. I took part over the Bank Holiday in August, the weather was warm and the people wonderful. An early start, there for 3.00 am with a commencing time of 5.00! Although at the time it was rather daunting looking back it was amazing. The staff were fantastic and I left my floral design - I hope it lasted.
So thanks Anthony, I saw your One and Other piece in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park this weekend, I was wondering if that was were you got your inspiration? Cheers Julie P (30.08.09 - 5.00 am till 6.00 am!) X
I found my experience to be debilitating, lonely, invasive, isolating and negative.
I think the project lost its way and purpose early on and became cheap and vaudevillian.
I myself contributed to that of course, by sucomming to peer pressure and other persons ideas and notions of what I should do or be whilst on the platform.
Attending the final hour of the project only compounded this, by once again giving me a sense of not belonging and oddly not being welcome.
A truly unique and inspirational project, it's strength lay in the way it was an active artwork. Many times there was a great deal of interest or audience interaction. It captured the imagination of so many and gave the chance of either self expression or to promote a cause.
I for one shall miss my regular attendances at the plinth. It gave me a superb photo opportunity and inspired me to travel around London documenting its places and people.
Thank you, thank you Mr. Gormley! My hour was THE MOST FUN! I felt so connected to the people in the square and have received wonderful e-mails from all over the UK. It was a very 'human' hour for me and I wish I could do it again! "We are all in this (life) together"
http://www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/kimclaus
Antony,
Thank you so much for dreaming up this wacky piece of art and giving myself, other plinthers and plinth hecklers a chance to explore ourselves and the world we live in.
Not only was it a beautifully conceived idea, but it was executed with such enthusiasm and love by everyone involved in the project. I can certainly, in quite a unique way, vouch for how connected the crew were to the project, how much they felt a part of something and how accommodating they were to the crazy plinth tweckling tribe.
My last few hours in the square over night with fellow plinth hecklers was do full of laughter, love and nostalgia. When all the fanfare was over and the last plinther eventually got down, the crowds had gone and the TV cameras turned off, a small group of people could still be seen together sharing the experience. I will treasure those memories forever.
Well time to say goodbye, but One and Other will stay alive for me through new friendships and precious memories.
Abby x
ps - seriously, the grit in my eyes is shocking!
I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Plinth action and tweeting comments on it, so together wtih many others it was sad to see it end - and possibly even sadder that deconstruction started almost as soon as the final plinther had been escorted back to the portakabin.
I could understand them wanting to take down the netting asap to prevent anyone repeating the antics of Plinther 0 (the chap that lept up just before the project started), but it would have been nice to have waited a few hours before the rest of the deconstruction, to allow everyone a chance to chat / remenisce and possibly have an informal "shared table" celebration after the TV crews had gone away, without the presence of the scaffolding crew sealing off that entire section of the square. Perhaps if Artichoke (or anyone else) do a long-term project like this again, factor in the possibility of participants gathering to mark the end of the project - don't just assume that everyone will immediately disappear to whence they came.
-oOo-
It was a unique event, and one that could not easily be replicated without accusitions of being a copycat event, but the sheer simplicity of the idea (one person, one tiny stage, no pre-set agenda [apart from "Don't do anything illegal!"], audience of whoever happens to be around at the time) could lend well to something occuring more regularly - and could potentially attract significantly more positive (or at least varied) criticism from a certain soon-to-be-axed reality show...
The plinth was the perfect setting - high enough to prevent anyone in the 'audience' invading the stage, but low enough for the 'audience' to see what was happening (and if the plinther had brought sufficiently powered amplifiers, hear what was happening as well!). And unlike "reality" shows, there was only one participant at a time, for one hour at a time - so there was no opportunity for backstabbing or other general nastiness - and if the current participant didn't interest you, you could simply wait until 5 past the following hour. Added onto which there was no financial reward for appearing and no sense of competition between participants.
It was great to part of this event and even better to see how people used their hour. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of it and thanks to the team who made it all the more fun.
Not only did I have the privilege of being 1494 out of 2400, but I also shook hands with the man himself and obtained his autograph on my plinthers t-shirt.
Mr Gormley spent many a long hour being besieged by press, media, plinthers and others after the final plinther had descended, but he kept on smiling and had a kind word for all who craved his attention.
Last night, when I got home, I looked at the picture I had taken of the empty plinth and a tear came to my eye. This morning it came as a shock that there was no live feed and then the sudden realisation that it was all over.
It is all now memories, but I shall always have the feeling of the 'buzz' that I got from my hour and from being involved with the whole project online.
Antony Gormley.
You seemed reluctant to let go of this project so -
Those not selected for the plinth
.... isn't there a bit of artwork there?
Something made from 31,052 parts?
If that is the right number?
Presumably would have to be small components.
Using email in some way
as a response to some kind of instruction?
Just a heads-up for all the Plinthers:
Please, please go and check your individual sites again, you may have missed some comments from people who watched your hour long after you've been on the plinth!
It's been really nice to see some plinthers replying to the comments on their site but not everyone did -- is that intentional or just because you haven't seen them?
Last man standing was Captain John as the lights of Trafalgar Square dimmed we were passing to catch our bus home after spending the day around Lomdon , and there was Captain John still chatting away.
The Plinth is not alone it has 2400 friends and John is it's special guardian, so many memories that will last forever, i'm sure this project has changed many peoples lives for the good, Thanks for the journey ! john t.
I was a plinther Thurs 8th Oct at 4am.
Just want to say a bit thanks for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. I loved taking part in my hour, yet the hours surrounding it, the last day/night party, the online twittering and plinthwatching and new friends I have made because of it have all been just as enjoyable as the chance to perform. I am really going to miss this project.
And after watching as many plinthers hours as possible, its great to be able to say that actually, the vast majority of people really are a nice bunch after all aren't they?
This project had meaning for me at a few levels. When i heard i was selected it was quite a journey to decide what to do, like many others i guess. And as i rumbled throrgh various alternatives in my mind it reminded me that as a human being we are many things - Clown, poet, thinker, political, innane, serious, frivolous, depressed, happy, aware, mindless.... on on and on. But what did i want to be or do up there....on that plinth.
It was a very sociable thing to do as well, all the chats in the pub leading up to the event, amused conversation with family and friends, the really nice people in the Portacabin beforehand, the people in the square who smiled and put thumbs up, and the plinthers before and after me taking part in a long line of randomness.
And it was remarkable to have a public platform like the plinth and i got to thinking about those who have been silenced, and are being denied their viewpoint, and i suppose that is ultimately what swayed my choice.....
Thank goodness we are all so different, but also for the theme of goodness that seemed to run through the whole project. Thanks for the experience Anthony/fellow plinthers et al, what shall we all do next? x
@Wayne Moraghan. I am sorry your experience was so negative - I am assuming you are genuine of course, & not another of those spoof critics which have been haunting these blogs. I think it is inevitable in such a large (2400 plus) group of people that smaller groups will form - the twitterers, the plinthians, the O&O team ... Whilst with the best will in the world, these groups may try to be welcoming to others & genuinely believe they are being, there is nearly always a tendency to "revert to type" & to be most relaxed with those with whom we are more familiar, or whose personalities somehow twang with our own. This can feel very alienating, especially if we stick our neck out trying to a part of it all. I speak from experience. But that does not mean that your place in all this is not as valid as the next person's. Ultimately, whilst these new friendship groups are very important to the ones who are part of them (& that is okay) they are not what it was about for you (& that is okay too). I did not go to the party in the square because I knew I would feel out of place, but I still really value what I did on the plinth, & the occasional comment which I contributed to these blogs. It is about engaging with things as you are, and not as the rest of them seem to be doing - the same pressures you felt on the plinth. I hope you can find some glimmer of encouragement for yourself when you look back on all this later. You did it!
ps. having said that, the "professional" welcome by the team in the lower cabin was quite exemplary & undiscriminating. Judging by the comments on here, that has been consistent throughout. That is not easy to achieve, so, thanks, & well done!
Thank you, Antony, for allowing me to take part in such an amazing piece of art. My experience is still pretty difficult to put into words, but will live with me forever. I feel very grateful to have had the chance to be up there, taking with me such love and best wishes from family, friends and strangers.
The last day was a weird mix of pain and pleasure- discomfort at seeing the square so full compared to the peace of my 7am Sunday morning slot, the contrast between the press pack swearing at each other when jostling for position and the good nature of the plinthians and team... perhaps I was just over tired after spending the whole night there!
Thank you to everyone who was involved. I, if I'm honest, hope that it won't be repeated next year or somewhere else, as I think it stands as a one-off... some things should have a limited lifespan in order that they are not diluted... but I do look forward to seeing what Artichoke do next, what Mayor of London have learned about public involvement in art... and whether Brian Sewell ever meets a tweckler on a dark night ^_^
Oh and of course, I look forward to seeing what Antony's next amazing project is... x
Thanks to Antony, the amazing team at Trafalgar Square and all the people beyond and behind the scenes for bringing this project to life.
I started my hour on The Plinth with my poem "Here I Stand" and feel genuinely humbled to have stood where 2,399 other Plinthians also took their place, as One but with thoughts, memories and well wishes for thousands of Others.
Having viewed on the web and been a part of the final night I realise that there were many, many thousands of people involved from around the UK and indeed The World.
This project may have been mocked in some quarters but despite the glib comments it has rightly resounded across the world through people of all ages and will stand as a huge monument to life in the minds of many.
What an experience! I got my kit off in Trafalgar Square!
I'll never forget it. Thanks.
For so many people (2400 at least) Trafalgar Square will never be the same.
It was a privilege.
What a load of rubbish that was... Wish the money had been spent on something more worth while. Like the homeless in London. Sad day for Britain, and a sad
day for PR rubbish pretending to be art.
Waste of time and money...
Okay, so I'm really suffering withdrawal symptoms now. Do we need to form a post-plinth support group? Can some one set this up?
Re my suggestion yesterday of a reunion (in time as well as space) to form a "Terracota Army" of plinthers. Yorkshire Sculpture Park anyone? There were enough of us on the plinth raising awareness and (hopefully) money for good causes. Could we agree on raising money for an arts charity? Have we collectively got sufficient connections to raise enough to commission a piece from a 'struggling artist' (proposals please) and negotiate with Boris for a slot on the Plinth? Could we then auction the piece for charity?
Or is it a just a plinth-dream?
Suggestions?
Finally, Mayor Johnson, please keep the Fourth Plinth free for guest works of art.
For me, this was not a rubbish nor was it a waste of time or money. It was an amazing opportunity to push myself to be brave and it forced me to spend an hour well and truly outside my comfort zone whilst raising money & awareness for a well worth chartity.
I cannot say that I had a wonderful hour on the plinth as it was at times terrifying & uncomfortable but the whole experience from start to finish was amazing and something that I (& my nearest & dearest) will never forget.
I will always be grateful for having the opportunity to take part in this amazing art project. Thank you x
I am a plinther - Wednesday 7 October 0500-0600 - and will always be one.
It was a great experience. I have performed on stages from Cornwall to Edinburgh but this time I was myself and I spoke my truth.
A fabulous idea Anthony, a wonderful and caring crew, and supporters I will always love.
Thanks to Antony Gormley and all the great crew. I had a ball. A unique time, a unique place, a microcosm of the human race. Plinther Frank G.
lt was a wonderful piece of Art or call it what you will - a slice of life. lt wasn't representative of Nritain today because only certain people would have applied in the first place but it brought together an interesting collection and touched a lot of people out there and, most of all, it was FUN and FREE and LIBERATING and INCLUSIVE!!!
Thank you, Anthony, and all the other Plinthers and the One and Other crew and the security guys and girls.
http://www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Norton_Folgate
PS l meant to write Britain - but my hand shook aat (there it goes again) wrong moment. By the way, how does one start a blog?
Week 8 Sat ( 29th Aug 7pm )
I was no Work of Art, I was no Angle of the South, But WOW ! did I have a Ball. I did.
Wish I could do it again, mainly to iron out the faults, but what the heck, does Antony look at his Great works after, and thing ' Perfection' ?, or wishes he could add/take away. but then, is Art Perfection ? , Hay, maybe I was a Work of Art after all. What Ever.
I actually used my hour to be a bit oppositional, and to ask critical questions about the work, and about the aesthetic philosophy behind it. I still think these are questions worth considering, but I have to say that the plinth experience was tremendously positive, and the organisation behind it very efficient (while being very human). My hour on the plinth has brought me into contact with some very interesting people, and, for all my doubts, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
Antony Gormley says "it has provided an open space of possibility for many to test their sense of self and how they might communicate this to a wider world", which seems to me pretty spot on. It doesn't matter whether some hours were boring to watch or not, we all had a choice and the freedom to do what we wanted, just as we can all chose which hours to return to and enjoy again in the O&O archive (long may it last) and which to talk with our friends about. There was much to revive optimism in the human spirit - who can watch Tim Andrews hour (Norton Folgate) and not be moved? And as for whether its art or not - I really don't care anymore. If Damien Hirst's pickled sharks are considered high art, the plinth was high enough for me!
I wasn't a plinther, I never set foot in London, I never saw the project in the flesh.
But, each day from time to time I popped in to take a look and was amazed at the people, the invention and the atmosphere.
I thought it could last forever, I was hooked and felt a bond to those taking part or experiencing it first hand. Sadly it has come to an end and there is now a void (in many senses) where before there was life.
Absolutely amazing concept and one I'll remember for a long long time.
Thank you for letting us share in your work.
hello! i think the forth plinth was an amazing idea! i love following the plinth competitions and watching it change but your was by far the most interesting! i know its a long shot but i am writing an essay about the forth plinth and of course you for college and was wondering if i could ask you a few questions! my email address is babybird643@hotmail.com
ATTENTION: all addicts not coping with the withdrawal symptoms.Go to
http://www.camvista.com/england/london/trafsq.php3
WARNING: shows an empty plinth. Do not view unless feeling strong!
It was a tremendous morning on Wednesday, a fitting end to a great project and also getting to meet and have my photo taken with Antony Gormley, the mastermind behind the whole project.
May I thank everyone involved, the One & Other staff, TV crews, security etc over the 100 days for making it run as smoothly as possible.
Not much else to say, but I'm glad to have met some of you and glad to have been given the opportunity to take part, albeit at short notice. The main thing is that I got my chance of fame and shall never forget my experience up there!
All the very best for the future to everyone involved!
Sylvius
Plinthian 0686 / 2400
PS: All Plinthians, if you don't already, should check their profiles from time to time just in case someone has left a message for them.
As a person who was at the original fourth plinth conference when this work was just another shortlisted idea. I fell in love with it straight away.
So to actually get chosen and be on the plinth was a great end.
I look back on my hour and think i could have done it differently. But at the same time I raised awareness and money for my cause. I saw people on twitter swapping links.. telling each other what the complex issue of Palestine is really about, that made me proud to do what i did.
I could have done it differently but doing what i did on the plinth has lead me to get involved in more Palestine stuff now that i have started university. I've got more information in my head now then i did when i did my slot but the main fact is it motivated me to do more even after my slot and got others into it.
I Thank everyone for the support.. .and the twitter community... ( who i have only now just joined just to keep in touch @arf_22)
Also wednesday was great to meet lots of people... just how where all strangers but we all share something made us all get on with each other well :).
Arfy
Plinther: 1161/2400
I loved it. I loved taking part and I loved watching it online, and I'm sad that it's over. I was lucky enough to be selected, had the most work-friendly time slot, and was up there with my flask of tea on a beautifully sunny saturday afternoon. For me, it was the exhilaration of being able to do whatever I chose, with no judgements or prejudice, and the freedom of not really caring what other people thought. For that, I'm very grateful.
I started off as a wee bit of a sceptic, got more into the whole shebang via Twitter, was lucky enough to gain a plinth spot at short notice towards the end and was invited to blog on this site for the last few weeks; and insodoing, gained many, many new friends (and the odd enemy!) along the way.
As with most things, you only get out what you put in and it's too easy to sit on the sidelines and decry something experimental like this was, to use easy insults like BB for Guardian readers. Maybe if the naysayers had chosen to get involved, their points of view might have changed. They didn't, for their own reasons, but that's their loss, not the project's.
It was, in the end, a metaphor for life. It seemed like it would never end to start with, so much so that liberties were taken; then the passage of time became obvious, the end hurtling towards us all too quickly; some of us made use of our moment in the sun, others less so. And then it all ended, far far too soon. Fortunately, however, it lives on, not only in our memories, but in the copious quantities of visual and oral data that have been recorded, not just for us, but for many future generations.
So, to the other 2399 plinthers, the twitter dudes who desperately wanted a place and didn't get one yet still stayed fully involved to the end, all the staff, the droids and, of course, the proud owner of an extremely limited edition plinth brick who dreamt this up in the first place: thanks for making the summer of 2009 a unique spectacular for me - and, I trust, for yourselves.
Hasta el proximo tiempo...
I watched from Boca Raton in Florida and also a few times in London live. Absolutely brilliant. I am sure, like Chicago's cows, it will be replicated worldwide (they'll have to build the plinth of course). A joy!
Thank you
What a pleasure to follow this "living sculpture" throughout the 100 days. A friend of mine had a nephew on the plinth and she is the one who sent round the link. I keep thinking that this could only happen in England... I am American and we would never be able to replicate this... The British spirit and daring is unique and alive and well. Thanks so much for sharing it with the world...
What an amazing experience to have shared a part of this.
Thank you. Just thank you.
Very proud you should be!
I watched live roughly 640 of the 2400 hours (and caught or sampled on the refeeds many hundreds more) and posted as @braincoffee approximately 3,500 tweets related to the live feeds, and was impressed and pleased and proud of what I watched portrayed by each individual's hour. It reinvigorated my sense of the creative spirit.
Cheers,
@braincoffee
REIFY :v.t.... to think of as a material thing.......to convert to a material thing..to materialize. Thank you to Antony Gormley for your idea and to the people who helped reify that idea for you and for us. My contribution to the project would not have been as fulfilling for me as it was, without the enthusiastic support on site of the people from Artichoke and Sky Arts........So.....a big" buaile bos" (hand clap) for Nova and Team 3........for Kate with the Wellcome Trust One and Other Oral History Project (Thanks Kate for an interview that helped me define who I am...where I've come from and where I might/can go...........and last but not least...to James and the Sky Arts camera team... A BIG NOD of thanks to you all for being so enthusiastically ready willing and able to try out my off the cuff ideas for involving the cameras in my "show" Check out the the why and the how of THE NODDING CAMERA Minutes 29 to 33 @ http://www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/callthisart. Thank you all for all you did. Yours etc callthisart.
O Ho Just checked and the above link http:www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/callthisart is not working. The "show" with the nodding camera @ minute29 to 33 is on 8 till 9 am 17/9/09. Yours etc callthisart.
Loved it... watched from Connecticut - USA !
While at work.
A Ha. "Problem" solved. THE NODDING CAMERA (see two blogs back/above/previously) is on between minutes 29 and 33 @ http://oneandother.co.uk/participants/CALLTHISART So....upper case for my name in the link and as here,lower case elsewhere. Yours etc callthisart
Thank you Anthony, and very special thanks to everyone on the One and Other / Sky Arts team, all of whom worked so hard to enable this great experience for all of us ! I was on the Plinth 11th October from 10 - 11am - a really positive experience, much appreciated by all my friends, and such a contrast to how I am regarded and treated by my employer!
Think of another project Anthony, and I will apply again !!
Since I got caught up in the moment (well quite a lot of them) and never did do the last night blog with Radeeboi I figured I would leave a link to what I finally did write here once the dust had settled.
http://deililly.posterous.com/100-days-or-no-sleep-till-october
Thank you everyone, it was crazy, wonderful summer of art and I am glad I was there.
Totally amazing how one hour standing on a platform in the middle of the night made so many changes to my life. So many people noticed, so many commented, so many have contacted me about it. Slots on local radio because of that one hour have given me the confidence to go for, and get, a job I never thought I'd have the influence to do. So many thank yous to Antony and the support team. I'm so happy I was able to be part of the project.
Two things I have read recently – the first absurdly incorrect and the second worthy of recording here.
The first was the article written by Jonathan Jones in The Guardian on Friday 9 October 2009 where he states “If One and Other is an image of British democratic life in our times, it is a pessimistic one. It is a portrait of a society in which people will try anything to get their voices heard, even stand on a plinth but where no-one can hear what they are saying”. Rubbish, Jonathan – people have been lifted by moving tributes, people have laughed, cried and have been shocked and touched – indeed, have you read how charities and therefore people who rely on them, have benefited from plinthers? My chosen charity, Ronald McDonald Homes, still continues to receive support both in the UK and in Australia. My voice is still heard, even as I am back in Perth, Western Australia – BBC World Service Radio has only just interviewed me, two weeks after One and Other drew to a close. No, Jonathan, us plinthers, our thoughts, our performances, our actions, our tributes are here to stay!
The second is the most absolutely appropriate quote: One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name.
Thank you for giving me that one crowded hour - the opportunity for my voice to be heard on the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square on Saturday 5 September 2009 at 5 pm. It truly was the most fabulous opportunity I have ever been given.
Carole (Cazza) Groves
I think this was a fabulous idea and as I have commented above I am proud to have been a part of it (Wdnesday 7 October 0500-0600.
That pride was somewhat dimmed today when I received my One & Other teeshirt. They did not have them when I was actually on the plinth.
When the young woman told me they would send on my teeshirt she wrote down XL. I changed it to XXL but got the message from her eyes that XL was the maximum available and that is what has arrived.
A lot of people in this country and a lot of people on the plinth are XXL and rising.
The teeshirt is minor in comparison to the experience but this response should be unnecessary.
Perhaps the work of art should be renamed ‘One & Other (provided you fit the dictates of the fashion fascists)’.
I'd just like to add my thanks to Anthony Gormley, Holly, Paula and the crew for a wonderful experience.
I have just found an email from Holly and Anthony in my spam folder - so check yours if you havn't received it.
It was great to meet so many other plinthers on the final day. I have updated my participants page and "my story" with some of the photos I took.
Carol
Dear Antony Gormley,
I was inspired by taking part in 'one and other' and want to create some national sculptures to embody the resiliance and power to recover of women who experience domestic violence.
I was fascinated to watch your recent channel five programme about your installation at the Hayward Gallery. I didn't realise the physical discomfort that is involved in casting yourself.
Domestic violence is still a taboo subject. The scale of the problem is unbelievable, UK police forces recorded domestic violence calls received on one day.An attack occurred on average once every six seconds, 999 calls are made once a minute.
The police took 1,300 calls on that day reporting stabbings, razor blade attacks, sexual attacks and beatings. 80% of the attacks were by men.
According to 'Refuge' one woman in four will experience violence from a partner.On average it will take more than 35 episodes of domestic violence before a woman seeks support. This is shameful.
Having seen the power of public art as a participant, I want to raise the profile of women survivors to highlight this hidden abuse. When violence enters in to a relationship, the truth is that the relationship has become a source of danger.
'Women as survivors' would be a powerful reminder that this hidden violence needs to be challenged.Women can leave abusive relationships, and emerge in to the light.
If you would like to cast some survivors, and use them, or show me how to do it, I would like to take this idea forward. It would also act as a memorial to all those women who have died from 'ritual killing' and at the hands of their partners.
While 'One and Other' was live, the streaming came through on my computer with no problem. Now, I seem to get 10-15 minutes into watching an archive, and it stops as though buffering, but it never restarts (or not for at least ten minutes, at which point I give up)!
an rud a lionas an tsuil lionann se an croi......
what fills the eye....fills the heart........
art is for everyone......thank you Antony for understanding this...
you were the one....we were the others......
phelena
an rud a lionas an tsuil lionann se an croi......
what fills the eye....fills the heart........
art is for everyone......thank you Antony for understanding this...
you were the one....we were the others......
phelena
I was the pearly plinther dressed as a pearly king singing for an hour to celebrate London and all Londoners.
Thanks for an hour of my life well spent sharing a few mad musical poetic moments with you all.
I wish I had been louder.
Love one another
IKEV (10p.m) 12 September
What an eye opener!
This was a fantastic project, I'm so glad I was fortunate enough to be able to take part - not just on the plinth itself but also in The Blog!
I have blogged with some really nice interesting people, so many different people from so many different backgrounds. It has been a wonderful experience.
Good luck to everyone involved and well done - you have all worked so very hard being part of this project and I for one feel privileged to have been part of the portrait too!
Best wishes to you all for the future : )
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