The fourth plinth

This year’s exhibition, held in the crypt of St Martin-in-the-fields church in Trafalgar Square has attracted a lot of attention, as the winner will grace the plinth during the 2012 Olympic games in London.

It’s a coveted privilege but it comes at a price. There are demands placed upon the sculpture: two essential criteria for the art is that it is attractive and interesting to look at and that it must convey a universal message which is relevant to contemporary society.

Proposals were shortlisted by judges for the 2012 commission are the best of the best, although almost all of them fulfil only one of the two requirements.

Katharina Frisch’s Hahn/Cock is a sculpture of a cockerel rendered in stunning ultramarine blue. This sculpture would bring vibrancy to the square with its otherwise drab colour scheme. The message for this piece is somewhat vague. It uses the cockerel as a symbol for regeneration, awakening and strength.

To contrast this, Brian Griffiths’ Battenberg is a huge cumbersome brick in the shape of this quintessentially British cake.

The only proposal that seems to fulfil all the criteria for the project is Allora and Calzadila’s untitled a.t.m organ. It’s a replica of an old fashioned pipe organ. If installed on the fourth plinth the organ will be linked to an a.t.m at the ground level, which when used by the general public, will trigger sounds of varying pitch and volume with each press of the a.t.m’s buttons.