All photos by Darla Burtnick.
Trafalgar Square is known for constant foot traffic surrounding its fountains and sculptures. In the center of the square are massive bronze lions that at any given moment are covered in that day’s tourists, climbing and posing for photos. But on the morning of February 23, the people in Trafalgar Square had their attention elsewhere: at the Fourth Plinth in the northwest corner.
Funded by the Mayor of London, and supported by Arts Council England, AlixPartners and Louis Vuitton, The Fourth Plinth is a rolling program of new commissions that stand on the otherwise vacant Fourth Plinth. Yesterday, on a very unusually warm February morning, saw the unveiling of Powerless Structures, Fig. 101.
Built in 1841, the Fourth Plinth was originally designed to house a bronze equestrian statue of King William IV. Due to insufficient funds, this statue was never built and so the space remained empty until 1999. Yesterday, after more than 170 years from the date the original equestrian statue was to be displayed, we finally saw the first equestrian statue in history to stand on the Fourth Plinth.
Powerless Structures, Fig. 101 by artists Elmgreen and Dragset, stands over 13 feet high portraying a young boy grinning as he rides a toy rocking horse. The artist duo created this bronze sculpture as an alternative to the traditional equestrian war monument. Instead of the heroism of war, the sculpture is meant to celebrate the heroism of childhood. “What is it with these grumpy old men up there on horseback?” say Elmgreen and Dragset in an artists’ statement. “A child has been elevated to the status of a historical hero, though there is not yet a history to commemorate- only a future to hope for.” This portrayal of hope and power resonated as we viewed the sculpture for the first time, sunrays reflecting off the boy and his horse.
