“Do not climb on the horse” says the warning sign by the eminently climbable and hugely inviting White Horse sculpture on The Mall, in central London.
No sooner had I got my camera out than a bloke quickly leapt on the horse and posed for his friend’s pics.
The White Horse is the work of Turner prize-winning artist Mark Wallinger, and is a scaled-down version of a proposed 50m-high (164ft) sculpture to be erected in the countryside of Kent (which would be visible from the Eurostar).
Funding for the full-size horse has so far proved to be a victim of the recession, although if it does get the go-ahead, it would stand more than twice the height of Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North statue, and cost up to £15m to complete.
Wallinger hopes that the mini-me marble and resin version in The Mall will help “prod” funding for the bigger version.
The life-sized sculpture was made by scanning a horse named Rivera Red – partly owned by Wallinger – in a white light scanner, with the resulting scan being moulded into a robust resin, marble and steel structure.
Commissioned by the British Council Collection and unveiled in March 2013, the horse may only remain in place – and continuing to tempt wannabe riders – for a little while longer. [—]
Chat about the sculpture -and see some novel ideas for how it might be improved – on the urban75 forums.
Related posts:
