The Real Message in the Bottle - Trafalgar Square Fourth Plinth
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is expecting an increased interest in HMS Victory this summer, following the unveiling of Yinka Shonibare’s Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle, commissioned by the Mayor of London for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. The work will highlight the square's history from Monday 24th May 2010, for an eighteen-month residency.
HMS Victory, Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, which resides in dry dock at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, is depicted in a bottle in a sculpture by the leading Anglo-Nigerian artist, which stands at 11 feet long and seven feet tall.
The artwork is the first commission on the Fourth Plinth to reflect specifically on the historical symbolism of Trafalgar Square, which commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, and links directly with Nelson’s column.
The model is a 1:29 scale replica of the original HMS Victory and Shonibare says that he hopes his model will help people reflect on British history and modern multiculturalism.
The ship's 37 large sails are made of exuberant and richly patterned textiles commonly associated with African dress and symbolic of African identity and independence. The history of the fabric reveals that they were inspired by Indonesian batik design, mass produced by the Dutch and sold to the colonies in West Africa. Tying together historical and global threads and traversing Oceans and Continents, the work considers the complexity of British expansion in trade and Empire, made possible through the freedom of the seas and the new trade routes that Nelson’s victory provided.
It is hoped that the artwork will prompt the questions "''Why is it called Trafalgar Square?'', ''why is Nelson''s Column there?'', ''what''s the history?''” and that visitors will then follow in the footsteps of thousands of others every year and be encouraged to see the ‘real’ thing at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and learn the significance of the oldest commissioned warship in the world.
Robert Bruce, Managing Director of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard says, "We are delighted that Yinka Shonibare has chosen the world famous HMS Victory to portray in a magnificent sculpture on the 4th Plinth in Trafalgar Square. It is very fitting that HMS Victory should have a place in Trafalgar Square and alongside Nelson''s Column, further forging the link with the great battle of 1805. HMS Victory played a significant part of British history so it is right that this new work should have such a prominent place and I am sure once visitors see it on the 4th Plinth, they will be interested to make the trip and see the real thing at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard."
Taking centre stage in Trafalgar Square is, of course, Nelson’s Column. Erected in 1843, and designed by William Railton, the granite column commemorates Admiral Horatio Nelson''s death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. He died from a sniper’s bullet on the deck of his flagship HMS Victory; visitors to the ship can see a plaque marking where he was shot.
It is said that the great Admiral is still keeping an eye on his fleet as he is looking in the direction of Portsmouth, the spiritual home of The Royal Navy and the resting place of HMS Victory.
There are six permanent statues on display in Trafalgar Square: Lord Nelson stands at the top of Nelson''s Column; King George IV, Henry Havelock and Sir Charles James Napier occupy the other three plinths and there are statues of King James II and George Washington. There is also a bust of Admiral Cunningham.
The Fourth Plinth Programme is funded by the Mayor of London and Arts Council England and sees new artworks being selected for the vacant plinth in a rolling programme of new commissions. 3,000 people pass it every hour and last year the artist Antony Gormley handed it over to members of the public to use it however they like for an hour at a time. Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle is sponsored by Guaranty Trust Bank with additional funding from the Henry Moore Foundation.
