Allora and Calzadilla's Untitled (ATM/Organ) (above) makes a musical cash machine
Exhibition: Fourth Plinth Exhibition, Crypt Gallery, St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, until October 31 2010
The Fourth Plinth is causing a stir once again. Last week the proposals went on show for the latest piece of contemporary art to occupy the empty plinth amid the classical austerity of Trafalgar Square. As in previous years, the artwork will be chosen by a judging panel following a public consultation and an exhibition of scale models of the six short-listed artworks.
This year’s exhibition, held in the crypt of St Martin-in-the-Fields church in Trafalgar Square has attracted even more attention than usual as the winning proposal will grace the plinth during the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
It's a highly coveted privilege, and yet it comes at a price. The demands placed upon public sculpture are massive; two essential criteria for art of this kind are that it must be attractive or interesting to look at and convey a universally comprehensible message relevant to contemporary society.
Although the proposals shortlisted by the judges for the 2012 commission are certainly the best of the best, almost all of them fulfil only one of these two requirements.
Katharina Frisch’s Hahn/Cock is a sculpture of a cockerel rendered in stunning ultramarine blue. Its striking appearance would transform the square, bringing much-needed vibrancy to an otherwise fairly drab colour scheme.
Katharina Fritsch aims to give the Plinth the blues via Hahn / Cock
The message of this piece, however, seems vague. It plays on the cockerel as a general symbol for "regeneration, awakening and strength", as well as pointing "ironically" to the male-dominated nature of British society. Surely placing a blue cockerel in such a prominent position could be misconstrued as a celebration of male power as much as a criticism of it?
By contrast, Brian Griffiths' Battenberg is a huge and cumbersome brick rendering of this quintessentially British cake.
Though funny and kitsch, it seems to rest in an awkward and unimposing manner on the plinth. Yet its message is intriguing – it asks us to recognise London as a relic of the powerful yet bygone Victorian era.
Aside from its grand architectural legacy, we are also reminded of the Victorian influence on more serious matters: the great British teatime.
The only proposal which seesm to fulfil the project criteria is Allora and Calzadilla’s Untitled (ATM/Organ).
As a maquette the sculpture appears to be simply a replica of an old-fashioned pipe organ. Yet if installed on the Fourth Plinth the organ will be linked to an ATM at ground level which, when used by the general public, will trigger sounds of varying pitch and volume with each press of the ATM’s buttons.
Aside from entertainment value, the sculpture’s message is clear: that our actions, in particular our financial decisions, have an impact beyond measure, but of which we should be aware given the current global economic situation.
It seems fair to say that public sculpture on the Fourth Plinth has changed, its turning point being Antony Gormley’s One and Other project, which saw members of the public taking turns to occupy the plinth for one-hour stints from July to October 2009.
Rather than reiterating the same old statements about the idealised heroicism of classical monuments, Gormley made a “statue” rooted firmly in our own times. Allora and Calzadilla’s organ embraces this recent revolution in public art as much as it does the longer-term history of the square.
The small white card provided to exhibition visitors asks:"Which of the plinth ideas in the exhibition is your favourite? Why?" As I write my choice on the card, I suspect that Allora and Calzadilla’s piece won’t win. It could be too populist, too conceptual, too noisy. At the same time, I’m warming to the idea of visiting Trafalgar Square to look at an enormous blue cockerel.
See our picture special for more on the designs, and read our rundown of the shortlist for more on the artists.
Open 8am – 8pm (7pm Wednesday, 9pm Thursday – Saturday, 11am – 6pm Sunday). Admission free.
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