models of the shortlisted proposals for london's fourth plinth commission went on display
in the foyer of nearby st-martin-in-the-fields church. the proposals include a giant blue cockerel,
a floating fictional mountainscape, an oversized battenberg and a brass rocking horse.

(above image) hahn / cock by katharina fritsch
the sculpture, a larger than life cockerel in ultramarine blue communicates on different levels.
first of all is the consideration of the formal aspect of its placement: the mostly grey architecture
of trafalgar square would receive an unexpectedly strong colour accentuation, the size
and colour of the animal making the whole situation surreal or simply unusual. the cockerel
is also a symbol for regeneration, awakening and strength and finally, the work refers,
in an ironic way, to male-defined british society and thoughts about biological determinism.




battenberg by brian griffiths
the battenberg cake was invented on the advent of the marriage of queen victoria’s granddaughter
– princess victoria of hesse – to prince louis of battenberg in 1884. as such, the pink and yellow
cake is a humble commemoration of the victorian era and a link with a british past that has
slowly crumbled.





sikandar by hew locke
sikandar replicates the statue of field marshal, sir george white (1835 – 1912) that stands
in portland place and transforms it into a fetish object. the sculpture will be embellished with
horse-brasses, charms, medals, sabres, ex-votos, jewels, bactrian treasure and hellenistic
masks, creating layers of material and meaning with multiple possible readings.






untitled (ATM/organ) by allora and calzadilla
untitled (ATM/organ) consists of installing an automated teller machine (ATM) in the
fourth plinth, connected to a functioning pipe organ which will produce sound by driving
pressurised air through pipes selected via the atm machine keyboard. each time
customers press the ATM keyboard to access bank accounts worldwide to make
cash withdrawals, credit card cash advances, account balance inquiries and so on,
it will trigger the pipe organ to produce a range of notes and chords at varying degrees
of loudness which will reverberate throughout trafalgar square.





it’s never too late and you can’t go back, mariele neudecker
it’s never too late and you can’t go back is elevated above the plinth and represents a
fictional mountainscape. it is ‘specific in its dramatically modelled detail’ and if viewed
from above reveals the flipped and reversed shape of britain. from below, the map is
the right way around and more familiar. the juxtaposition of different views shifts the
observer’s perception of the mountain from majestic and generic landscape to territorial space.






powerless structures, fig. 101 by elmgreen & dragset
in this portrayal of a boy astride his rocking horse, a child has been elevated to the
status of a historical hero, though there is not yet a history to commemorate – only
a future to hope for. elmgreen & dragset’s work proposes a paraphrase of a traditional
war monument beyond a dualistic worldview predicated on either victory or defeat.
instead of acknowledging the heroism of the powerful, powerless structures,
fig. 101 celebrates the heroism of growing up. it is a visual statement celebrating
expectation and change rather than glorifying the past.


the public can comment on which designs they wish to be realized on the fourth plinth website
but ultimately the decision will comes down to a panel of eight judges which will announce
the winners early next year.