A woman in Trafalgar Square?
After years of standing empty, the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square was finally filled this month with a sculpture of disabled artist Alison Lapper. Created by the British sculptor Marc Quinn, Alison Lapper Pregnant is one of two works selected for the plinth, and is one of the most important public art commissions in Britain in recent years.
The statue is carved from Italian marble, stands at 3.55 metres and weighs 13 tons. Ms Lapper sat for Quinn when she was eight months pregnant, and the artist took 10 months to produce the work, sculpting from a single piece of marble in Italy. He hopes that the work will add femininity to the square.
Heralded by many as inspirational and a tribute to modern society, motherhood and overcoming disabilities, Ken Livingstone said at the unveiling that Lapper deserved her place in the square because her life 'is a struggle over much greater difficulties than the men who are celebrated here'. Others have interpreted the sculpture as a symbol of the female in society. However, one critic has already dismissed the sculpture as 'rather ugly'.
Standing alongside the sombre dark figures of Nelson, Napier, Havelock and George IV, Alison Lapper Pregnant is made of striking white marble, making it look almost painfully out of place, yet oddly defiant of the history surrounding it. The contrast of styles between the natural, smooth and flowing curves of the body and the harsh, stern and classical style of the face is a little bizarre, and is accentuated by the long neck, making it seem almost as if it is made of two separate sculptures.
As a strong female figure in a showcase of the male domination of British history, the sculpture is long overdue. Although Lapper doesn't represent a figure of power in political history, the strength of will and defiance of the norm shown in her face makes her as deserving of admiration as those around her.
The plinth was originally designed for a statue of William IV, but this was never completed due to a lack of funds. Since no-one was able to decide on a permanent fixture, Ken Livingstone has decided that the plinth should be used as for an ever-changing exhibition of works of art as part of a move to make Trafalgar Square a cultural focal point of London. The statue will be on display until Spring 2007, when it will be sold off and replaced by Thomas Schutte's Hotel for the Birds.
