, was for the Fourth Plinth to be occupied for 100 consecutive days, 24 hours a day, by members of the public who would volunteer to stand on it for an hour at a time. 2,400 people would be able to participate.

‘The idea is very simple. Through putting a person onto the plinth, the body becomes a metaphor, a symbol. In the context of Trafalgar Square with its military, valedictory and male historical statues, this elevation of everyday life to the position formerly occupied by monumental art, allows us to reflect on the diversity, vulnerability and particularity of the individual in contemporary society. It’s about people coming together to do something extraordinary and unpredictable. It could be tragic but it could also be funny.’

Fourth Plinth Commission

, 2009. Photograph by Matthew Andrews, London.

, 2009. Photograph by Clare Richardson, London.

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