Trafalgar Square: Fourth Plinth

    The Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square is available for commissioned public artwork.  Currently, it is inhabited by Nelson's Ship in a Bottle by Yinka Shonibare which has been there since May of 2010.  The ship is constructed inside of a huge glass bottle.  The sails are crafted from African textiles to represent different cultures.  This is the first historical piece placed in the square, relating to Admiral Nelson and the battle of Trafalgar, which is what the rest of the statues represent as well.  The artist was quoted as saying the ship will reflect "the relationship between the birth of the British Empire and Britain's present day multi-cultural context."  I like how the historical context of the piece is being related back to present-day British culture.  I also really enjoy the fact that the piece looks differently depending on the weather.  I saw it while it was sunny out and the glass was shinning brilliantly, but then I saw it later on when it was cloudy and it reminded me of a storm or being lost at sea.  While I like that the piece is raised above the viewer, I do wish that I could see more of the ship's detail because from what I can see it looks ornate and nicely made.
     The Fourth Plinth itself is used as a space where public art work can be displayed and invites debate about the space and the people.  I like works that vary depending on their surroundings and especially the weather, just like the piece Sky Mirror by Anish Kapoor.  I therefore want my design for the Fourth Plinth to incorporate the idea of the people and their surroundings.  I thought I could take this idea more literally and create a huge ball constructed out of a reflective material such polished stainless steel.  I want it to be a sphere since circles are said to symbolize eternity and when I looked up the definition of sphere expecting to find something about a three-dimensional object, the first thing that I found was "a particular environment or walk of life, 'his social sphere is limited' or 'he's out of my orbit.'"  I thought it strange for that to be the first definition listed and so I want to use the Fourth Plinth to make a comment about different social spheres and their surroundings.  I therefore want my piece to be reflective of the sky, the buildings, the fountains and the people all together in one environment, in a single sphere, instead of being separated into different categories.  This idea is quite literal because one will be able to see his own reflection alongside everything else reflected back at him in one sphere.  Everything and everyone will be seen as equal.  Another definition of a sphere is every point along the surface is the same distance from the center.  I think this is an important comment on the awareness of equality in a community and incorporating everything together in order to have a healthy balance in life.