Trafalgar Square, Institute of Contemporary Arts, The National Gallery

Trafalgar Square has four different plinths for statues. The first has a statue of General Sir Charles James Napier, the second Major General Sir Henry Havelock, and the third King George IV. The fourth plinth currently has Nelson's Ship in a Bottle by Yinka Shonibare. This artist was commissioned to reflect on the historical symbolism of Trafalgar Square and the Battle of Trafalgar. If i had to choose what would be displayed next on the fourth plinth, I would most likely choose a statue of some sorta that either depicts or represents an important modern day figure similar to Admiral Nelson's success. Since I do not know much about Britain and its history, past or present (sorry past history teachers), I am not able to pin point a specific person. My runner up would most certainly be a sculptural, free form representation of a Flake bar due to the importance and significant of Cadbury. 

more about the forth plinth

Before even seeing any art, I found the layout of the gallery to be beyond confusing. It was hard to find a specific place to begin looking at art. It seemed to be way smaller on the inside than the outside and on advertisements. The piece I enjoyed the most was a linocut in the upstairs gallery. This linocut was almost as large as the wall it was displayed on. As a printmaker (or a former one), I know the process behind the work. That being said, I am overly impressed. How he worked on a linocut of that size is amazing. He used extremely tight and clean lines. In one of the upstairs cinemas, two videos by different artists were playing. I caught the end of the first one and stayed for the entirety of the next, figuring that it would eventually lead into what I originally saw. I was very confused until I looked for the title on the wall and found that there was two. I was also surprised to find one of the artists roaming around the gallery. If Emily did not tell me who he was, I would have continued to walk right past him. Also, I found it weird that after walking through the first gallery you were dropped off in a random store then a bar.

The National Gallery was not my favorite type of art. I found myself far more interested in the detailed frames that the images were held in. Some questions concerning the framed that popped into my head:

-Were any of the works found with a frame?

-Who decides which frame goes with what piece?

-Once the frames are chosen do they remain with the piece if it travels to another gallery?

Through this trip I realized how interested I am in frames. In more than one gallery I found myself looking deeply into the framework. I want to learn about the construction and fabrication. I have taken wood design already but I want to learn more about the details of frame work. I do not know how but I just found myself more amazed by almost every frame in the gallery.