The fourth plinth...

After following the saga of The Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square for the past couple of months with some vague sense of curiosity, today I saw the highlights of Naomi McDonald, a lap dancer, taking to the plinth wearing only heels and a black pair of knickers... with a pole as an accessory.

Now whilst Naomi perhaps isn't the best example of how the plinth should be utilised (mainly because half the population don't actually want to see a half-naked woman writhing about for an hour), the idea in general for the plinth isn't actually a bad one. Whilst it is generally getting mixed reviews from the public, in my opinion it could actually be quite interesting.

The idea is that for 100 days and nights, 2,400 members of the general public will have the opportunity (for an hour each) to be involved with this piece of 'art', doing whatever they want on the plinth. Because they are just members of the public, with no experience of performing arts, this reality experiment opens up the world of 'art' to a wider audience, and makes it more accessible and inevitably more interesting. By constantly changing the 'model' on the plinth, it is instantly made more interesting because people will come back to see what has changed. I've seen Nelson's column once... and I won't be going to see it again. However, with a changing sculpture on the fourth plinth, I would definitely be more inclined to return to Trafalgar Square (if I lived anywhere near, which I don't).  And whether you like how they're spending their hour or not, it still gets you talking either way.

You might not agree with this, however it cannot be disputed that the amount of public interest and debate he has created surrounding his work is something we could all aim for.