- Images and video footage of the sculpture are available to view on the Mayor of London’s website, www.london.gov.uk/fourthplinth
A new artwork by artist Heather Phillipson was unveiled today, Thursday 30 July, on the Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square.
It is the 13th Fourth Plinth commission since the programme began in 1998, it is also the tallest to date, measuring 9.4m and weighing 9 tonnes, and follows on from The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist by Michael Rakowitz. Both artists were selected in 2017 by the Fourth Plinth Commission Group, following an exhibition at the National Gallery where 10,000 people voted for their favourite shortlisted artwork.
Heather Phillipson’s vast physical and digital sculpture tops the Fourth Plinth with a giant swirl of whipped cream, a cherry, a fly and a drone that transmits a live feed of Trafalgar Square. Entitled THE END it suggests both exuberance and unease, responding to Trafalgar Square as a site of celebration and protest, that is shared with other forms of life. The live feed of Trafalgar Square picked up by the drone’s camera is visible on a dedicated website www.theend.today giving a sculpture’s eye perspective.
The Fourth Plinth is known across the globe for bringing world class contemporary art to London’s most prominent historical public square. For two decades it has showcased the work of great artists from around the world who have not shied away from tackling the important issues of the day. Yinka Shonibare CBE considered the legacy of British colonialism in ‘Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle’, Katharina Fritsch commented on gender equality and the masculine posturing in the square with her work ‘Hahn/Cock’ and Michael Rakowitz’s recreation of the Lamassu, a winged bull and protective deity that was destroyed in Nineveh (near modern day Mosul) in 2015 shone a light on the devastating impact of war on cultural heritage.
THE END is the first fully accessible commission on the Fourth Plinth. There is a braille panel included on the plaque, a tactile image of the work, and an audio description of the work on the GLA’s website.
Notes to editors
The Fourth Plinth Programme is the most popular public art project in the UK. Funded by the Mayor of London with support from Arts Council England, the programme invites world-class artists to make new works for the centre of the capital city. An established icon for London, it brings out the art critic in everyone.
The programme was initiated in 1998 by the RSA with the support of the Cass Sculpture Foundation for the following commissions: Ecce Homo by Mark Wallinger (1999), Regardless of History by Bill Woodrow (2000) and Monument by Rachel Whiteread (2001). In 1999 responsibility for Trafalgar Square was transferred to the Mayor of London and the Fourth Plinth Programme is now led by the Mayor’s Culture Team, under the guidance of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group.
The Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group
Iwona Blazwick – Director of Whitechapel Gallery
Mick Brundle – Principal, Arup Associates
Jeremy Deller – Artist
Elvira Dyangani Ose – Director, The Showroom
Ekow Eshun – Writer, Broadcaster (Chair)
Eleanor Pinfield – Director, Art on the Underground
Justine Simons – Deputy Mayor, Culture and Creative Industries
Matthew Slotover – Co-director, Frieze
Jon Snow – Broadcaster
Sabine Unamun – Acting Director, Visual Arts and Museums, London, Arts Council England
The Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced a commission to review and improve diversity across London’s public realm to ensure the capital’s landmarks suitably reflect London’s achievements and diversity. The Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm will focus on increasing representation among Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, women, the LGBTQ+ community and disability groups. It will be co-chaired by Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement Debbie Weekes-Bernard and Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries Justine Simons OBE, and will comprise arts, community and council leaders across the capital, as well as historians.
Art on the Underground
Art on the Underground invites artists to create projects for London’s Underground that are seen by millions of people each day, changing the way people experience their city. Incorporating a range of artistic media from painting, installation, sculpture, digital and performance, to prints and custom Tube map covers, the programme produces critically acclaimed projects that are accessible to all, and which draw together London’s diverse communities. Since its inception, Art on the Underground has presented commissions by UK-based and international artists including Jeremy Deller, Yayoi Kusama, Mark Wallinger, and Tania Bruguera, allowing the programme to remain at the forefront of contemporary debate on how art can shape public space. Art on the Underground is funded by Transport for London. art.tfl.gov.uk
Artscape
Artscape Management was founded by Sarah A. Collicott, whose thirty years of experience span both the public realm and commercial gallery art worlds. Artscape specialise in creating and delivering strategic overarching arts and cultural strategy in the UK and Middle East. They are internationally renowned for commissioning site specific art for the public realm, as well as for their work supporting young and emerging artists, many of whom have risen to high acclaim. They also specialise in the curatorial development of private and corporate art collections.