Pigeon racing

I believe the only way to watch this bit of madness is by watching straight through from the beginning. The professor is quite the character: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Rainbow Meat fleas. A nutter for sure! Gets a bit old around 20 mins in but pretty funny up to that point.

Inside the porta cabin beast

This is where the magic happened that allowed all of us to watch all over the world: www.flickr.com/photos/radeeboi/4016915521/

Ref

Sammy has been on a few best of lists. The ref presides over the square at 3am, maintaining order. Hilarious. Love this whole concept. First half sees a couple yellows and one ejection from the square. He even calls half time at about 35:40 in and takes some time for administrative work. Awesome.

Looking forward to the second half!

Enjoy here: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Sammy

Ok, second half gets really wild. In the 40s things really pick up. More bookings, some keepy uppy with a ball lost in the net - great stuff all around.

What the plinther saw

Finally a video that shows what the plinther sees in the porta cabin and approaching the plinth itself: vimeo.com/7021352

Such a great view as the JCB extends way up above the plinth before dropping you! TS from about 3 mins in.

Empty Plinth

Empty! www.flickr.com/photos/tiotoms/4016065045/in/set-72157622596932838/

Captain John - Guardian Angel of the Plinth

Some background: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7322347.stm

His hour: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/John_L

I like this article a lot

entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article6874457.ece

Plinth numbers

Some of the numbers in this article are astounding: www.thisislondon.co.uk/arts/article-23756267-bringing-an-end-to-100-days-on-the-plinth.do

7.5 million page impressions for an arts website? Over 720,000 people watching online. And then all the people who saw it live or on Sky Arts...amazing reach for the work of a sculptor.

Plinthers' words

Interesting takes from a few of the Plinthers: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8306923.stm

Heli in the square

It seems the first week had a helicopter in the square during this guy's plithing: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/JamesBT

He also dumps his bike in the net but I can't watch this official feed due to something going on with the archive. Check back soon!

Finger painting iPhone

Is this really done on an iPhone?? I like: www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/video/2009/jul/10/fourth-plinth-art

Gormley's words

I like what Gormley says in this video: blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/kateday/100004007/antony-gormleys-fourth-plinth-the-critics-just-missed-the-conversation/

There was something magical about it being uninterrupted and I would say the vigil aspect was amplified by the watchers and their participation through blogging, flickr, twitter, and showing up to watch in person. The fact that people went through rain and sun and clouds and night and cold and hot and perfect days just like a statue, enduring the whole time with little complaining that I saw is a testament to the positive nature of this project.

It was, and is, a shining moment in humanity where people of diverse interests came together to share an experience. Gormley gave the plinthers a chance to feel like they matter in a world that doesn't seem to care a bit about most people. And the participatory nature of the project allowed those of us who followed the chance to ride their coattails...to realize we all matter and have something to contribute. Those are the sorts of realizations that can bring people together and I think that is the enduring power of this project.

A new view of Trafalgar

With One & Other in a hurried state of dismantlement, a new view has been located by the twecklers: www.webviews.co.uk/network/camera/england/london/tragalgarsquare/streamingcam.html Seems mostly a wide shot but there are occasional zooms into the plinth and the work going on now. Empty plinth, a strange sight.

SkyArts Highlight reel

The plinth is now empty. Check highlights here: www.skyarts.co.uk/video/video-one-other-summer-2009/

The Last Plinther!

Just watched the JCB drop the last plinther on her post. As the tweckler stream runs strong and many in the square sport the 1&O t-shirt, evidence of their time on the plinth, the project winds down. Gormley has been mingling in the crowd as news crews interview him.

Shortly into this downer of a closer Captain John even looks sad. As tweckler Radeeboi astutely observes, "Even John is losing the will to live." What a way to close One & Other. Hoping for a formal wrap up by Gormley. Perhaps I'll nap until then.

Lights up

And the lights come up on London with only one plinther left to take the ride up. So many there for sunrise and the wrap of One & Other!!! Anthony himself has written the last official blog post. Plinthers past should be heading to Trafalgar for the informal party in the square. How long will the feed cover past the 9am end???

The twecklers are out in force now!

For Amos

Found the one you mentioned: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/miren_m

Haven't watched yet but just from reading the profile sounds like this could be a rare treat.

My last moment on the plinth?

Thanks to several plinthers who have opened their time to messages from the public, and the interactivity of watching the plinth live in Trafalgar Square, I've been able to participate in the plinth. Not as good as being on the plinth but hey, you've got to take what you can get. About 15:30 mins into one of the final plinthers, I got one last shout-out in for my favorite plinthing buddies: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Katherine_L

Thanks Katherine for letting those of us not lucky enough to be there play along from home!

Couldn't resist chiming in again about 33 mins in for a final thank you to all.

Cold night

Ok. First up, tons of people for an overnight on the plinth. Obviously people are out to celebrate the end of a kick ass project. And this ice sculpting is great. Love watching ice sculpting. Anonymous so I'll have to wait for the archive to be set up to include the link. I'll be back.

www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/anonymous_202

Guardian's top ten

The guardian has picked their top ten best plinthers.

I missed most of these which is to be expected when there are 100 days of 24 hour plinthing. Some look worth a visit though!

Twecklers

How did I miss the Twecklers' feed? Saw the official One & Other twitter account but never found this way of tapping into the tweckler feed: search.twitter.com/search?q=oneandother

Warning, they earned the name twecklers. They are a difficult to please bunch!

The Grassy Plinth

The Plinth as a grassy little park looks so nice: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/anonymous_165 I'd pop my shoes off and wander the plinth barefoot if I had the chance. It looks so inviting after weeks of seeing that beat up surface under plinthers' feet. To lay back on the grass and take in the sky and sounds from below would be amazing. Beatutiful plinthing!

Final 24 hrs

At 9am tomorrow it all ends. We are in the final 24 hours of plinthing and there are a lot of people out there who are going to miss their live view of Trafalgar and the plinth. You can sense the sadness on the blogs, and in subtler ways like the feed freezing up. Last night was my second last night I get to watch live plinthing, from a quiet, middle of the morning Trafalgar Square. And just as Antonia comes out to shake her ass the feed starts freezing. Seems many of the people who have stopped in during the project are checking in at the start of each new plinthing session to catch one more phenomenal experience before the fourth plinth goes bare.

I've realized that it is the early morning plinthing that is by far my favorite. With the five hour time difference, most of my plinth watching has been in the late night / early morning hours. Dawn is still my fav and I will likely go back and watch many of the dawn sessions that I missed as long as the site is up. But even when I visited the plinth in person, I stopped by Trafalgar twice late night, and only once during the day. I have almost no recollection of the plinth during that day stop. That is especially strange since both times I was there late at night, I was a bit drunk and seriously overtired.

It is the late night cocoon of light that I better understand and relate to. It is the intimacy of being in public, lit up like a billboard, while the city (mostly) sleeps that is the most intriguing side of the project. In general I feel like we've seen a more honest side to the late night plinthers. There is less of a live audience, less reason to act unlike yourself. Day plinthers end up playing to the crowd in one way or another and modifying their behavior. I feel like we glimpsed people's personality more readily at night. And when watching at home, on the live feed, you almost feel as if you are the only one watching. And like maybe you are almost up there with the person. That one on one feeling is incredible. When else do you feel that close to a stranger you've never met?

For a few reasons I hope to keep this blog going. I haven't yet updated with photos from my own experience in Trafalgar. I've missed watching the plinth the last few weeks because of travel and recovery, and I came into the project just before the half way point. There are a lot of plinthers I'd still like to watch and I'll update with highlights as I make my way through them. The official blog says the One & Other website will remain up through the end of the year at least, maybe longer. But now, we still have time to watch a bit live...and hopefully the feed will hold out to keep us connected live to a blank chunk of granite in a square in London that has been animated by so many different ideas over the last 3 + months.

Last bits of silence

Anonymous currently on the plinth gives a great moment of silence in Trafalgar. He sits, he reads, and due to the cold (I think) he paces every once in awhile. Through it all, you hear very little in Trafalgar. The wide shots show an empty square with only security in sight. Cars and buses seem to have disappeared. These quiet moments of isolation in the middle of the night are what I have gone to sleep to since first finding One & Other. With only a couple days left I know I'm going to miss this live connection to a world five hours ahead of mine and one big ocean away.

I also like the sound of the plinth as he walks. Good to hear from the real star, the plinth itself. Been wondering what it is made of and it seems from this to be a metal topper on the plinth.

Update: no longer anonymous: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Gazza

Lights out!

Not (yet) permanently but the lights and cameras on the plinth went out during Rick's hour: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Rick_B

They were out for a few plinthers then power comes back to the plinth just before 12 min mark here: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/anonymous_179

Made it! for real

While I didn't make it up on the plinth I did make my way into this lovely evening's hour along with my new friends Bebe and the star, Mira. Thank you Mira for the wonderful abstract animals!

www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Mira_A

Tons more photos and first hand reports to come.

Opera night

I'd read about Opera night and Mike Figgis talks a bit about his experience filming that night but this is the first photo I've seen that gives the bigger picture: www.flickr.com/photos/ericsnaps/3724288983/in/pool-oneandother/ The screen looks so close to the plinth!

Posterboard story

44 mins in there is a great little paper trick wherein a posterboard size sheet blows off the plinth, out of camera for a second or two only to return to the plinth, slamming into our plinther. That was kind of fucking amazing. Missed the beginning but this guy tells an interesting story I'll have to go back to catch once archived: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Douglas_K

Update - Watched again and the great story begins at the 10:15 mark. Make sure you have some time because it'll take 20 mins to complete and you should really watch in one sitting. The content and pacing oddly work perfectly together. The simple signs, handwritten letters in black floating loosely on a large white space works beautifully as well. Some complex emotions boiled down to a simple short story. I have to say I really, really enjoyed that bit.

And it isn't over yet - I revisited the posterboard trick and it is amazing. 43:20 in one sheet slips free and blows off camera. At 43:59 I believe the posterboard slips free of the net / light on the front corner and finally begins its descent heading toward the fountain below. It goes off camera briefly only to return at 44:12, having caught an updraft, slamming into Douglas. Watch it again and marvel at the chances of paperboard making that circuitous route back to the plinth. That is fucking amazing! Would love to see another camera angle of that.

Will you?

Avid Plinth watcher Amos (www.kennedyprints.com) tipped me off to this guy last week while I was sick, sleeping away my days at home: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Redomelette

Very interesting event to look at. Would love to find out the back story. Was it a real proposal?

That guy wins!

Great game 26 mins into this guy: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Daniel_B

Listen to the surprise entrant (contestant #3) who clearly wins the game. Awesome. Seriously awesome. Is this the first time One & Other has reached beyond Trafalgar Square? Another wall comes tumbling down.

Golf tricks

Love the golf shot back and forth with the punters. Great back and forth, great shots and catches on the plinth. Not bad for a chef from Birmingham!

www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Richard_A

BTW, what is up with the blocked off area around the base of the plinth? Are they cleaning? Didn't notice it there earlier today.

Gurning

Here's the act: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Katie_P

Wow. She makes some strange noises.

And here is a description of what it is all about: www.daeschner.com/gurning.html

Interesting guy this Peter Jackman the world champ gurner quoted in the article above. He removed his teeth in 2000 to better gurn. Then, three years later, he apparently died while playing golf in Spain when a cliff he was standing on collapsed. This quick sketch of a life seems quite unique.

Mystical smoke rings

The hecklers are seeing things tonight: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Curry

I like that you can see the view from the plinth through his eyes. Nice camera work.

Hilarious commentary on the nudie mag he reads about 18 mins in. Cracking me up.

Infomercial!

We've got an amateur infomercial on the plinth now! This guy could learn a bit from Billy Mays.

www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/CHARLES_T

Hooray!! Another dance party!

Finally another dance party. Feels like it has been a week since we've seen some of that good / awful dancing that is the best, best kind: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/tricky Oh yeah, GnR is blowing through the speakers now. This is going to be a great hour!

What everyone was thinking

Gunter put in an interesting performance this morning. Three minute in he says what is on everyone's mind: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Gunter And really pay attention to the megaphone you can hear in the background. The bit about the audience needing a license to watch is great. Brilliant! Such tension as you wonder whether he'll blindly topple off the plinth. Don't leave this clip until you watch the action at 46 mins in and straight through the end. Pigeons on the net and so much more! I thought they were banned from Trafalgar! You may even want to catch the surprise exit at the beginning of the next clip: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Tom_C

I also see some updated graphics on the One and Other site. Looks like they are now tracking in line graph form the watchers response to the videos. Love that little addition.

CCTV tunes in

Mike Figgis' bit on the plinth was an interesting discussion of the technical side of the project as well as some CCTV name calling. He says the CCTV presence is creepy and that it is a bit pornographic b/c there are people anonymously watching in some sleazy little dark room.

www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Mike_F

Looking back through some older archived plinthers I came across this one: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Susanna_M Click through this performance with an eye toward the ever present CCTV camera back in the background. During the first portion of the hour the CCTV camera is looking into the square...but then it sees a naked woman on the plinth. And from that point on it doesn't look at if the CCTV camera moves again during the rest of the hour. Seems to prove Mike's point right there!

Can't wait for his One & Other doc to come out!

Is the plinth the right place to learn how to unicycle?

Find out here: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Mark_Logie

Ashley M alopecia

Ashley went deep today to talk about his struggles with alopecia on the heels of a awareness raising walk through his wardrobe with commentary on the working conditions in the apparel industry in those countries. www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/ashley_m

About 43 minutes in he begins to honestly discuss his experience with alopecia. He shares difficult details of the public ridicule he faced when his hair feel out but it is buoyed by an amazing attitude that pulled him through an awful experience. I found his comments at 48 mins in especially poignant. Clicking ahead a bit you'll get to see his second headstand around 56 mins in which is the first headstand I've seen on the plinth though I'd guess someone else has done one already.

Hecklers

Or what a difference a plinther makes. Friday late night proved to be drunk heckler central as expected. The fascinating bit to come of it is how much the plinther can affect the heckler experience. Friday's 11pm slot featured a fill in who was a 30ish male. He faced a constant stream of requests from the crowd including requests to strip and requests to jump off the plinth. His approach - rationally talk through the requests. It seemed by the end that he was worn, having had such difficulty facing a less than supportive crowd.

Then midnight hits and Maria_S_1 hops out with energy bubbling forth. She immediately wins over the hecklers by laughing and playing her way naturally through them. Didn't look like they fazed her a bit really. When they yelled for her to get naked, she simply replies that her mom is there and might get cross. A beat passes and you hear faintly, from the heckler, "Tell mom I said I'm sorry." That was hilarious. Brilliant, brilliant stuff that can be found here: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Maria_S_1

For some reason it looks as though they aren't posting the anonymous performances at this point but if the Friday, 11pm is posted, it is worth taking a look at the two back to back to see how different the plinthers' experiences are. Their personalities, their attitudes made for such wildly different experiences.

Maria's range goes from fiddling to tossing cakes to gardening to making cakes. She is like a full HGTV slate come to life. Worth a watch for sure!

Godzilla plays tetherball

Gotta love this performance. One of a kind: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/geraldc

There should be a stop motion version of this with the destruction lasting 7 seconds.

Another beautiful day in Trafalgar Square

And everyone seems happy.

Notable is the number of plinthers who offer their chair to the next plinther. Wonderful gesture.

A-levels

Imogen_S asks the question on all our minds - Are A-levels getting easier? A delightful romp through some sample A-level questions punctuated by flying cupcakes. Loved this little show: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Imogen_S

Where the name comes from?

Is this the true source of the project name One and Other?

Craptivism

A plinther defines for us: www.flickr.com/photos/11833575@N05/3838798875/in/pool-oneandother

Silence

Having a live feed is an amazing thing. The sirens, the sound of the fountain, kids playing in the distance, people talking in the square are all audible when the plinther is silent. Multiple camera angles, the sounds, and the accents of the plinthers make it seem as though I've taken brief vacations to London every day this week. Amazing to have this portal into life in Trafalgar square.

Two thumbs up for virtual art travel!

The exchange

My new favorite part of the plinthing is the exchange. When the cherry picker rises to remove one plinther and deposit a new one there is a rare exchange. It is a moment when both mics are on. You have the handler asking questions but the main action is between the newly departing plinther and the one just showing up for a shift. It is always cordial, but there is so much emotion going on beneath the niceties. The new plinther usually seems a unique mix of excitement and apprehension. It is a brief, raw moment that few continue into their plinth session. But during that moment you can sense the excitement and the wonderment of an ordinary person stepping into the spotlight. Those are the moments you can best picture yourself with the best view of the plinth possible just before you are thrown to the wolves. What a mix of emotion. What an amazing experience for these lucky souls!

I made the plinth!

Well, sort of. Oliver_L ascended the plinth today with the goal of reading texts submitted to his number for a full hour. Awesome. About 31 mins into his hour I got mine on the air. It was an important message for Allen (my friend who loves plinthing as much as I do) that you'll have to listen to for yourself: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Oliver_L

Awesome job Oliver!

A note about timing

I think I saw somewhere, most likely on SkyArt's site, a clip with Gormley himself ascending in the night to mount the plinth. He comments that it is quite intimate up there since you can't see much of anything through the intense lights. I think I'd prefer to be up there in the night. Dawn would be remarkable while splitting hte distance between day and night. But short of that, night would be preferable because the city changes at night. And there you are, safely tucked away in plain site to do as you please. I think the hecklers and passerbys would be more interesting at night too.

Lucky those plinthers working the night shift!

Wednesday - dawn - no music

My favorite plinther thus far is Wallsy from Wednesday morning. I caught him as I was going to bed Tuesday night after being out celebrating a friend's b-day. Early in his hour he sang a song to his wife, one of the only people in the square as dawn broke. A nutter sitting on a wall requested Wallsy sing some Clash but he didn't know enough of the words to make a go of it. A second request for Wallsy to sing whatever song he likes creates a problem.

Wallsy, eager to please, begs two minutes time to rack his brain to find a song he knows the words to and can sing. He walks to the other side of the plinth to concentrate. Five mins later he yells to his wife to ask her what songs he knows. She offers no solution. Another 10 mins go by with occasional mumblings, mostly to himself, wondering what songs he knows. He never arrives at an answer. Instead he spends most of the rest of the time in silence, listening to news on a tiny portable radio and reading the paper as the lights continue to gradually come up in the city.

Unremarkable exchange perhaps but the subtlety astounds me. First of all, tracking the light and city sounds as the city awakes is pretty amazing and peaceful. I've always loved dawn, just hate the next 4 hours of the day intensely. Secondly, Wallsy couldn't think of one song to sing a bit of for the man politely sitting on a wall, enjoying his morning. That to me is amazing. At any given time I have three songs playing in my head. May not want to sing them out loud but they are there...and this guy has none over the course of 50 minutes. Amazing. I didn't know people were made that way.

See it here: www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/wallsy

Wish I'd seen the cam

I wish I'd seen this performance: www.flickr.com/photos/m_j_b/3800835717/in/pool-oneandother

Best Halloween costume ever. Love the kick ass camera!

Update: found the performance for Francesca_H www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/Francesca_H

And then Howard D fished

Yeah, he did. But without a pole and he wasn't fishing for things - just answers written on paper. So I think my idea is still safe even though Howard did a version on Tuesday night.

Allen, why didn't you tell me he was fishing!!

Christmas August 25th

Patsy S rocked the plinth Christmas style tonight. I love christmas songs! Ken and I used to play them for months in our LA office and we were soooo happy those days.

Fishing for wankers

My idea Tuesday was to fish up there. People have been shouting, throwing, and floating things down to those in the square but I have yet to see anyone move material in the opposite direction. I'm more of a taker than a giver when you get down to it so passing out candy or poems or art doesn't excite me. I'd flip it and get things from the people down below. I'd lower a fishing line with a bag attached and take contributions from people. Maybe a chocolate croissant or a fancy binder clip. I'd have souvenirs to take home with me.

I'm also very inspired by the bad dancing I've seen. Well, inspired by those who have music, kind of creeped out by those who didn't have any music but kept on dancing anyway. The dancing I've seen up there is the kind of dancing I myself CAN do. So I'd definitely spend some time dancing, perhaps with headphones in so I'm the only one who can hear the music. then I can be the creepy one.

I also like the idea of getting naked. In a bar, on a sports field, around the airport doesn't seem like fun but to be in the position of a statue, and then get naked seems appropriate. that is the kind of public nudity I can get behind.

That's my plan...perhaps we'll have to organize one on this side of the pond for me to execute.

Tuesday's entry - ME!

By Tuesday I was trying to enter myself in the draw for a spot in October. Sadly I couldn't complete my entry because I don't live in the UK. Bummer. I get it, but bummer. Now I track London fares for a weekend trip. Never been to London, and never thought I'd get there before many other countries but I'm enthralled and would love to take in the spectacle in person before the run ends. Plus I hear there is some good theatre in town.

Monday's Tiki dance

Becci's Tiki dancing was hypnotic. She had the whole hand thing going but it got really good when she ditched the mask and kept dancing. Good times!

Highlights

I found the highlights on SkyArts pretty early on and loved them. So many great dancers. And the rain footage. Something beautiful about someone on display, hunched under an umbrella hiding out from the rain. Finally up there on display for their allotted hour and the poor plinther ends up cowering in the rain...but yet a smile. And then you know the plinther is enjoying their time despite the rain. But to be up there exposed, and hiding is an interesting tension I enjoyed.

There was also the one of an older gentleman who dresses up like one of Gormley's statues with the wide wings. And he puts on a dress and ends up naked by the end of his performance. He ends with a message urging everyone to get an HIV test since many don't know they are positive. It is a beautiful little edited vignette you should check out yourself here: www.skyarts.co.uk/site/plinth/?id=14

But really my favorite highlight is this guy dancing: www.skyarts.co.uk/site/plinth/?id=22 The narration is hilarious! He dances, knows he isn't a good dancer, but is having the time of his life up there. At one point he says there is nobody in the square watching his performance which conjures this beautiful image, theatre of the mind style, of an empty Trafalgar Square just before dawn with Ricki (Plinther 0765) dancing his ass off on a well lit stage. There is no dip in enthusiasm, no phoning it in because the audience has gone to sleep, no he keeps on keeping on, just doing his own thing as best he can. Awesome.

One & Other

I first read about One & Other in the LA Times sometime in the last week. www.oneandother.co.uk About half way through the project but plenty of steam left in it. I was pretty much immediately transfixed by the idea and execution. A snapshot of UK residents displayed amongst long dead white men statued in bronze form. This living, fourth plinth has provided a magnificant view into the personalities, talents, and habits of the randomly choosen few I've had the pleasure of seeing. As my obsession drags on, my perception of the project shifts and I see new things. I believe this blog will follow this shift as I continue to watch (and perhaps visit) through October.

To the Plinthers!