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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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伦敦特拉法加广场本周一上演了一场不同寻常的新式艺术秀，除了战争英雄和国王的重要雕像之外，广场上还有一个空基座，数名公众轮流在上面站立一小时。
这个创意来自艺术家安东尼•戈姆利。按照他的设想，从本周一到10月24日，将有2400人每天24小时轮流在这一空基座上站立一小时。
戈姆利称，这一做法旨在为现代英国绘制一幅新画像，还将和周围的纳尔逊将军、国王乔治四世等纪念雕像形成对比。
戈姆利在接受记者采访时说：“这并不关乎过去、不是在纪念逝者，也绝非在讲述战争，这只关乎现在和未来。”
“我希望我们可以去了解那些有趣、惊悚、令人惧怕、和让人喜爱的事情，这个主意就这么来的。”
“这是一幅当今英国所有奇妙事物和多元文化差异的组合画像。”
参与者在一小时展示时间内的计划各式各样。
22岁的苏伦•塞纳维拉特纳穿得像一只大熊猫，手上举着写有自己手机号码的牌子，这样路人就可以给他打电话，而35岁的家庭主妇雷切尔•沃德尔则用一个氦气筒给气球充气。
41岁的杰森•克拉克是来自英国南部布莱顿的一位护士，他也是率先登台亮相者之一。
他说：“通常情况下，这些基座都是留给将军、国王、以及那些有历史贡献的人的，这是一次普通人在那里展示自己的机会。”
“我要去那里看看，但什么也不做，我去享受一下广场气氛，照些照片，实在不行的话，我就坐下来看会儿书。”
随后，他称站在7米高的基座上让人感觉“热血沸腾。”
一位示威者暂时打断了展示的启动仪式，他爬上基座，高举横幅，上面写着“救救孩子！禁止烟草贸易！禁止演员吸烟！”。戈姆利向他欢呼，打趣地说示威者在做“暖场演出。”
进行展示的是特拉法加广场的第四基座，近年来这个基座一直空置，但最近在这里举办了一系列马克•奎因和托马斯•舒特等人的现代艺术展。
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（英语点津 许雅宁编辑）
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