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London's Trafalgar Square got an unusual new artwork to go alongside its historic sculptures of war heroes and kings Monday -- an empty plinth where members of the public stand for an hour at a time.
The project is the brainchild of artist Antony Gormley and will see 2,400 people stand on the empty plinth for an hour at a time, 24 hours a day, between now and October 14.
Gormley says it aims to paint a picture of modern Britain -- and provide a contrast with the monuments to historic figures like Admiral Nelson and King George IV which surround it.
"It's not about the past, it's not about the dead, it's not about war, it's about now and about later," Gormley told reporters.
"I hope that we're going to learn... the things we find funny, the things we find scary, the things we fear and the things we love and that's the idea.
"It's a composite portrait of the UK now in all its wonderful, multicultural difference."
Those taking part had varied plans for their hour in the limelight.
Suren Seneviratne, 22, was dressed as a panda and carrying a sign featuring his mobile phone number so passers-by could call him, while housewife Rachel Wardell, 35, filled balloons from a helium cylinder.
Nurse Jason Clark, 41, from Brighton, southern England, was one of the first to take part.
"Normally the plinths are reserved for generals, kings, people who have done heroic deeds -- this is a chance for ordinary people to get up there," he said.
"I'm going to get up there and not actually do anything... I'm going to take in the ambiance of the square and take some photos -- and if the worst comes to the worst, I'll sit down and read a book".
Afterwards, he described the feeling of being on the seven-metre high plinth as "invigorating".
The launch of the work was briefly disrupted by a protestor who climbed on to the plinth carrying a banner saying "Save the children. Ban tobacco and actors smoking". Gormley jokingly hailed the protestor as "a warm-up act".
The installation is taking place on the fourth plinth at Trafalgar Square, which was empty for some years but has recently hosted a succession of modern art works by the likes of Marc Quinn and Thomas Schutte.
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(Agencies)
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倫敦特拉法加廣場本周一上演了一場不同尋常的新式藝術秀，除了戰爭英雄和國王的重要雕像之外，廣場上還有一個空基座，數名公眾輪流在上面站立一小時。
這個創意來自藝術家安東尼?戈姆利。按照他的設想，從本周一到10月24日，將有2400人每天24小時輪流在這一空基座上站立一小時。
戈姆利稱，這一做法旨在為現代英國繪制一幅新畫像，還將和周圍的納爾遜將軍、國王喬治四世等紀念雕像形成對比。
戈姆利在接受記者采訪時說：“這并不關乎過去、不是在紀念逝者，也絕非在講述戰爭，這只關乎現在和未來。”
“我希望我們可以去了解那些有趣、驚悚、令人懼怕、和讓人喜愛的事情，這個主意就這么來的。”
“這是一幅當今英國所有奇妙事物和多元文化差異的組合畫像。”
參與者在一小時展示時間內的計劃各式各樣。
22歲的蘇倫?塞納維拉特納穿得像一只大熊貓，手上舉著寫有自己手機號碼的牌子，這樣路人就可以給他打電話，而35歲的家庭主婦雷切爾?沃德爾則用一個氦氣筒給氣球充氣。
41歲的杰森?克拉克是來自英國南部布萊頓的一位護士，他也是率先登臺亮相者之一。
他說：“通常情況下，這些基座都是留給將軍、國王、以及那些有歷史貢獻的人的，這是一次普通人在那里展示自己的機會。”
“我要去那里看看，但什么也不做，我去享受一下廣場氣氛，照些照片，實在不行的話，我就坐下來看會兒書。”
隨后，他稱站在7米高的基座上讓人感覺“熱血沸騰。”
一位示威者暫時打斷了展示的啟動儀式，他爬上基座，高舉橫幅，上面寫著“救救孩子！禁止煙草貿易！禁止演員吸煙！”。戈姆利向他歡呼，打趣地說示威者在做“暖場演出。”
進行展示的是特拉法加廣場的第四基座，近年來這個基座一直空置，但最近在這里舉辦了一系列馬克?奎因和托馬斯?舒特等人的現代藝術展。
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（英語點津 許雅寧編輯）
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