Sheffield's Angel of the North
FOR Jane Spooner of Grenoside it was a case of Some Day My Plinth will come. And when it did it was at midnight.
The 52-year-old mum made, as she says, an exhibition of herself on the vacant fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, in the very first hour of last Friday.
The equivalent of two storeys up, she put on and peeled off a dozen T-shirts depicting her life and that of Sheffield.
"I thought the midnight slot would be quite quiet but Trafalgar Square is never deserted," says Jane.
But she wasn't the first local on the fourth plinth in a projected dreamed up by sculptor Antony Gormley, best known for his Angel of the North.
This time last week Alan Fransman, programme co-ordinator of community radio station Sheffield Live! broadcast from the plinth. "It was quite exhilarating, just being put there," says Alan.
Jane, who wore T-shirts advertising Grenoside Sword Dancers, Sheffield Children's Hospital, Def leppard (Joe Elliott sent a shirt from America), her husband Ian's photography business (he took the pictures), Sheffield Wednesday, Henderson's Relish and others, was supported by Ian and daughter Alice who shouted encouragement.
She says: "I heard about in on The Archers and I like Antony Gormley's work. I was inspired to do something totally mad as I have a cousin who is a bit of a media tart, appearing on TV shows and posing naked for photographer Spencer Tunick and another is a priest who dressed up as a Christingle orange."
Jane, a university administrator who also wore her own Angel of North Sheffield T-shirt, said she, like the others, had to put up with constant heckling from the crowd.
"It was an amazing experience. It's very liberating being able to do whatever you want for a whole hour. Some were singing, dancing, riding bicycles, making phone calls - I just enjoyed standing up there being me.
"Gormley's vision was to show British people being themselves so I just showed different sides of my life.''
Radio station Alan was met by half a dozen friends who live in London and broadcast on his own station as well as a companion London one.
It looked like he was carrying one of those cinema usherette ice cream trays slung around his neck and in a way he was.
"I borrowed it from the Showroom to carry my broadcasting equipment."
He admits to having some nerves beforehand. "The night before I had hoped I wouldn't get stagefright. And it didn't feel that high," he says.
Both of Sheffield's Plinthers were lucky with the weather. it stayed dry for Jane and only rained for the first 10 minutes of Alan's hour.
Each won a place on the plinth in a lottery and applications are still open for the project which runs until October 14. If you fancy having a go visit www.oneandother.co.uk
You can also watch Alan and Jane's hour of fame if you've a fancy.SCULPTOR Antony Gormley's One and Other plinth project lasts 100 days.
It began on July 6 and will end on October 14, involving 2,400 participants.
So far just over 29,000 people have applied to go into the lottery for a place on the plinth so that currently represents a one in 12 chance to occupy a space normally reserved for royalty and heroes.
Gormley says: "They will become an image of themselves and a representation of the whole of humanity."
The draw is open to everyone over the age of 16 who is living or staying in Britain.
They can do whatever they want for 60 minutes as long as it is legal.
The draw - there are three more to come - is designed so that every corner of the country will be represented.
Digital TV station Sky Arts has a weekly plinth show every Friday from 7pm.
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Weather for Sheffield
Friday 25 May 2012
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