WC2N: free art
The rain seems to have stopped for the time being, so if you're in London, hop on your bike and head down to Trafalgar Square to take in some free art exhibits.
Aside from the obvious National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, there are plenty of things to immerse yourself in.
Saint Martin in the Fields is currently hosting "Odyssey" an installation by Robert Koenig which tracks his mother's journey from Poland to the UK, constantly growing as the family of giant sculptures visits a new location. The 40 icons stand guard around the Saint Martin's church grounds until the 20th July, find out more here or visit the artist's website.
A few years ago Saint Martin in the Fields also unveiled the new East window designed by Pip Horne and Turner Prize nominee Shirazeh Houshiary. I've always thought of this abstract design as 'The Stargate': it's an architectural move that was always bound to make an impact.
Just across the road is Trafalgar Square's most recent Fourth Plinth commission by Elmgreen & Dragset entitled ‘Powerless Structures Fig. 101’. The statue raises its eyebrows at the traditional figures cast in bronze and plaanted on the corners of grand squares; instead of a lord and steed this is just a child on a flat-pack rocking horse.
The statue isn't dramatic or particularly moving, but then if it were, would it undermine the message of the piece? The following is an excerpt from The Guardian:
'The boy on the horse, as the artists see it, is a depiction of what we should really celebrate: banal, everyday life, the heroism of the unexceptional, the powerless. "The word hero is also a problematic term," Elmgreen says, "because it is about being outstanding. But what about being a hero because you managed to grow up at all, despite all the obstacles? It is heroic to become a relatively civilised human being, despite everything."'