London statues are ‘talk’ of the town
Print Edition
STANDING silently between two lines of traffic crossing the River Thames, Queen Victoria cuts an imperious figure. Who knew that she was thinking how much she hated breastfeeding?
At least that is the thought imagined by an artistic group which has been making London’s statues “talk,” with a project that it hopes to extend to Chicago and Paris.
Passersby can scan a barcode below the plinth or visit a webpage that prompts a phone call from the person or animal depicted, and a short message recorded on their behalf.
“Hello? Victoria here. Queen of England for 63 years, seven months and two days. But who’s counting,” says the statue on the north side of Blackfriars Bridge, voiced by actress Prunella Scales from the television series “Fawlty Towers”.
The queen, who opened the bridge in 1869, recalls her beloved husband Albert and her nine children — “I hated breastfeeding” — and worries that her legacy may be forgotten.
A short walk away, on a quiet square off Fleet Street, office workers Margaret Connolly and Karen Muskett giggle as they listen to Samuel Johnson’s pet cat recount his love of oysters.
Hodge the Cat is depicted in a low statue opposite the house where Johnson, the 18th-century writer who compiled the first English dictionary, lived and worked.
“My favorite word, cat, is described as a domestic animal that catches mice. Actually, I much prefer shellfish,” opines the animal, voiced by broadcaster Nicholas Parsons.
Connolly came by to show her friend the statue on their lunch break. “It’s quite informative actually — it’s really good,” she said.
The “Talking Statues” project is the latest from Sing London, a group which tries to get people to re-engage with public spaces. Previous work has seen them install pianos and ping-pong tables for people to play on.
“The idea is to make people look away from their telephone and enjoy the city that we all share,” said Colette Hiller, the United States-born London resident who came up with the idea.
The recorded comments are based on true stories about the personalities and the most popular character so far is Sherlock Holmes, the fictional detective depicted in a statue at Baker Street station, although Peter Pan in Hyde Park is a close second.
Hiller, a former actress who appeared in “Aliens”, is taking the idea to the US city of Chicago next summer, and also has hopes for Paris and other European cities in the future.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
