(Roughly) Daily

Sheps, from Northern Ireland; July 14, 2009; 4:09a BDT

Antony Gormley, a British sculptor, is creating a “living portrait of the U.K.”  As Gormly explains, he is

… asking the people of the UK to occupy the empty Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square in London, a space normally reserved for statues of Kings and Generals. They will become an image of themselves, and a representation of the whole of humanity.Every hour, 24 hours a day, for 100 days without a break, a different person will make the Plinth their own. If you’re selected, you can use your time on the plinth as you like.

“One & Other,” as the project is known, began on July 6 and runs through October 14.  Readers can learn more about it here, and can click here to see a live stream (from which the still above was pulled).

As we assume the position, we might contemplate the tension between animal and mineral, between dark and light; indeed, we might celebrate the birthday of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, born in Leiden on this date in 1606.

Rembrandt, self-portrait