![]() ![]() ![]() It was also clearly presented in the joint statement as being not-for-profit, with money donated to charities chosen by Reid if sold. 7 The post read: “What should we do with the empty plinth in the middle of Bristol? Here’s an idea th (.)Ģ Because no formal consent was sought, it was always meant to be a temporary installation.6 Judith Evans, “Bristol, the slave trade and a reckoning with the past,” 9 August, 2018, (.). ![]() It feels essential in particular for public art to play its part.” 3 The Life-sized likeness of Reid, based on the viral Instagram image, was created in Quinn’s studio using 3D scanning technology, and was presented in a statement as a collaboration between the artist and the Bristol activist: “The public realm feels so vital at the moment, as a space to activate ideas and create change. Quinn decided to launch a secret project: on June 15, still under the cover of night, his team deposited a sculpture entitled A Surge of Power (Jen Reid), 2020, on the plinth. 2 It went viral and became one of the emblems of the BLM movement in Britain. Reid’s picture was taken by her husband, who posted it on his Instagram. In Bristol, things had been brewing for years concerning the acknowledgement of city patron Colston’s involvement with the Royal African Company. They took aim at institutional racism, but also at some of the very visible vestiges of slavery in the form of monuments and statues celebrating historical figures who had, in their time, benefitted from the slave trade. The Black Lives Matter protests swept the world after images of police officers killing George Floyd were recorded in the US on 25 May. 1 Activist Jen Reid had been pictured with her fist raised and clenched, standing atop the empty plinth from which a statue of Bristol philanthropist and slave trader Edward Colston had only just been toppled. 3 “A joint statement from Marc Quinn and Jen Reid” 15 June, 2020, (.)ġ On 7 June, 2020, an image popped up on one-time Young British Artist Marc Quinn’s Instagram feed, which was going to provide the inspiration for his next work.2 7 June 2020, the picture showed Reid on the plinth with the caption: “My wife.1 Quinn is famous for another work using a traditional but empty plinth, his 2005 contribution to the (.).Indeed, is it still possible for artists-the actual pioneers of the pop up-to tap into the creative potential of the interim occupation of empty spaces after the latter have been instrumentalised by public authorities, monetised by business and by fashion brands, and, probably more importantly, used by real estate developers to hike up prices? Haut de page At stake is the question whether the possibility remains for artists to resist the control of forces at work outside the institution, in the streets or buildings they like to explore. By looking at recent examples of short-term interventions in public space which have been described as pop ups, and by exploring the latter’s roots in activist and artistic practice, I wish to explain the appeal of the pop up as well as its relationship to a city in flux. Their added value comes from the inspiration they draw from guerrilla events, from in-between cultural occupations and from new public art and its ephemeral, site-specific interventions outside the gallery. But these are not just venues or outlets, their ephemeral nature and incongruous siting have turned them into experiences, transformative happenings which provide more than simply what they present or sell. They are short-term shops, makeshift cinemas, or plug-in restaurants, their temporary quality granting them the seductive aura of trendiness. The pop up phenomenon, which has been a popular object of study for cultural geographers, while also commanding attention in marketing and public policy studies, evokes a composite and sometimes contradictory imaginary: the temporary, the alternative, the exclusive, the democratic, the experimental, the low-budget, the luxurious, the insurgent. This article explores the pop up phenomenon in the context of turn-of-the-century Britain, namely objects of visibility which have appeared and then, even more importantly, disappeared in public space. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |