A great public art project

An incredible phenomenon is occurring in London - it's called perpetual public art. Good Magazine recently covered this public art experiment entitled One and Other. Taking place over 100 days, One and Other features 2,400 people doing whatever they want atop a statue-esque platform in Trafalgar Square.

Some people hula-hoop, others paint. Some dress up and throw roses, others hum songs. Some raise money for charities, others put on concerts. The descriptions are endless in what people can do for an hour if given the opportunity.

An incredible phenomenon is occurring in London - it's called perpetual public art. Good Magazine recently covered this public art experiment entitled One and Other. Taking place over 100 days, One and Other features 2,400 people doing whatever they want atop a statue-esque platform in Trafalgar Square.

Some people hula-hoop, others paint. Some dress up and throw roses, others hum songs. Some raise money for charities, others put on concerts. The descriptions are endless in what people can do for an hour if given the opportunity.

An incredible phenomenon is occurring in London - it's called perpetual public art. Good Magazine recently covered this public art experiment entitled One and Other. Taking place over 100 days, One and Other features 2,400 people doing whatever they want atop a statue-esque platform in Trafalgar Square.

Some people hula-hoop, others paint. Some dress up and throw roses, others hum songs. Some raise money for charities, others put on concerts. The descriptions are endless in what people can do for an hour if given the opportunity.

An incredible phenomenon is occurring in London - it's called perpetual public art. Good Magazine recently covered this public art experiment entitled One and Other. Taking place over 100 days, One and Other features 2,400 people doing whatever they want atop a statue-esque platform in Trafalgar Square.

Some people hula-hoop, others paint. Some dress up and throw roses, others hum songs. Some raise money for charities, others put on concerts. The descriptions are endless in what people can do for an hour if given the opportunity.

"Launched on July 6, the project aims to turn everyday people into art, putting them at eye-level with the long-dead generals who look sternly on from their own platforms, at Trafalgar Square’s other three corners."

One and Other is the brainchild of sculptor Antony Gormley. Launching the project, Gormley said he was aiming to create a “portrait of the U.K. now” that offers “the chance for you and I to have a look at the world from the point of view of art.”

So far, the exhibition has been magnetic. Over 32,000 volunteers applied to be a part of the project at its inception, more than 400,000 people logged onto its live-stream website in its first three weeks, and now that the project is underway, at least 200 passersby are witnessing the piece at a given moment. Since the project is streamed live and saved online, global audiences have also had the opportunity to contribute to the conversation, discussing each person on the site, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

So what does Gromley's work mean? In many ways, it is a piece representing the collective. In others, it is a platform for singular ideas. But the bird's eye view of the project also provides extraordinary entertainment, making everyone want to watch. The individual has become public, thus opening the door for dialogue in an era where everyone has something to say.

"One and Other is a product of its age. It takes place both live and online; on the one hand it’s intimate—living, breathing and made up of people like you and me—while on the other hand it’s curiously anonymous, scrutinized and commented on through the internet, every hour recorded and watched by people from all over the world. It aims to celebrate ordinary people, but gives them an opportunity to show themselves as anything but ordinary."

One and Other will run 100 days and nights until October 14.

Read the full article here