I don't object to a statue of war hero Sir Keith Park, but I'd rather the fourth plinth stayed as it was: empty
A model of the statue of Sir Keith Park destined for the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. Photograph: Charlotte Kirkham
I always feel a tug of emotion when I look at John Mills' sculpture of a group of firefighters aiming their hose at St Paul's cathedral. It doesn't occur to me to think of this memorial to Blitz firemen as a piece of "figurative art" or even as art at all, but it conjures up an image of this same spot in the blazing nights of the 1940s.
So we should be careful about pouring avant-garde bile on the statue ofBattle of Britain hero Sir Keith Park, which will soon be temporarily sited on Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth. Those fighter pilots really were heroes, and they really did save us. Read Jonathan Glancey's book Spitfire if you don't believe me.
That said, it seems to me to present all the same problems as Gormley's dear departed project. A bronze statue of a solitary figure – albeit slightly larger than life-size – is no more suited to standing on an equestrian plinth than a real person is.
The only sculpture I have ever liked on the monument is Mark Wallinger's figure of Christ, because it made a virtue of the plinth's strangeness. It used the mass of the stone to say things about human smallness. It also connected in a productive – as opposed to pointlessly antagonistic – way with the cultural riches in the National Gallery, situated so close by.
I don't want to see any more public art on the plinth – no war heroes and no more modern art either. I don't want it to be an attraction any longer because, Wallinger aside, everything put there seems to become at best a scabrous distraction from, and at worst a conscious insult to, the great art in the nearby National Gallery. In there, you can interact for free with some of the most moving and satisfying and beautiful works of art in the world. Why stop at the threshold to gawp at a plinth and its latest silly adornment?
If the plinth was outside Parliament, that would be interesting. Imagine the possibilities for political art. But in Trafalgar Square the nearest institution to "subvert" is the gallery. And so it becomes the innocent target of every second-rate public artist's spurious iconoclastic cant. You know what I would like to see on the fourth plinth? Air
Michael Daniels – Photograph 1
Michael Daniels was born in Huddersfield general hospital on February 18th 1970, his parents Anna and James were only sixteen but they had got married at Huddersfield registry office the month before. Although not particularly pleased at her daughters choices in life, Mary Brown was supportive and strong throughout Anna’s pregnancy and Michaels birth, suddenly widowed the previous year, Mary saw Michael as a new chapter in her life and this gave her the strength to carry on her life at a deeply depressing time. Returning from hospital and heading home to the dingy flat on the Upton estate Anna found life as a young mum very difficult, James was more interested in spending time with his friends and they constantly argued, unable to hold a job down for more than a few weeks James was not the ideal father model, his attitude towards Anna deteriorated and his drinking began to spiral out of control.
The arguments got worse and James would disappear for days on end, coming back without any money and leaving Anna in desperate conditions, Mary begged Anna on numerous occasions to stay with her but Anna was strong willed and refused to give up on her young marriage. The police were called to the flat many times, usually summoned by worried neighbours who were woken by the shouting and young Michael crying, but still Anna refused help and wilfully continued to carry on with her destructive relationship.
When Michael was two years old Anna returned to her family home, Mary took Anna and Michael in without question and they stayed within the safe confides of Mary's home for two weeks until James turned up begging forgiveness and as usual Anna forgave him and returned to the flat on the Upton Estate.
Six months passed without word from Anna until Mary received a phone call early one Tuesday morning, James had been arrested, charged with the receiving of stolen goods, Anna denied all knowledge and still defended and supported her husband throughout his trial and when he was sentenced to eighteen months she promised to be faithfully by his side. Mary lectured Anna but Anna was obsessed with James and promised to stand by him, whilst incarcerated James wrote to Anna promising a new life and she believed him. On his return from Prison, James, Anna and Michael, still only three years old moved to a new home, a two bedroom house, still on the Upton estate but it was a fresh start and Anna believed things would be good for the young family. Three months later Anna fell pregnant again, this time, both Anna and James were pleased and Mary hoped that the new baby would bring a new chance for her daughter. When Anna gave birth to Michaels younger brother Sam, James was drunk with his friends in a grotty flat, so it was up to Mary to support her daughter throughout the birth, James returned home two days later and announced he had had enough of dirty nappies and Anna’s nagging, he was moving on, Anna’s, Michaels and baby Sam’s tears didn’t affect James as he turned his back on his young family and walked out of the door.
After the initial devastation of losing James, Anna’s life improved dramatically, she moved back home to her mother and the two women continued to support each other and look after Michael and Sam, Anna looked better than she had in years and even managed to get herself a part time job at the local chip shop. James became a distant memory until one night he turned up at the chip shop where Anna worked, begging forgiveness and with the usual promises of change. Anna arranged to meet him the following night, although she had grown stronger over the previous months, she still had a weakness where James was concerned and believed she should give him a chance to talk. The following evening on the pretense that she was visiting friends, Anna went off to meet James, he was late as usual and she was about to turn away and head home, when she heard a car, James didn’t hold a licence so she was puzzled to how he had acquired a vehicle, she got in and realised immediately that this was going to be a mistake, James stank of beer and Anna felt uneasy, telling James she had changed her mind she attempted to get out of the car but James sped off before she could open the door. Erratically driving at speed James didn’t say a word, Anna was crying and begging him to stop but James ignored her, he flew around the corner heading towards the estate, when he lost control, hitting a parked car and careering off the road into a wall.
Mary felt uneasy that night, after putting Michael and Sam to bed she tried to settle and watch TV but constantly felt the urge to check out of the window to see if her daughter was on her way home, when she saw the Police heading up her drive, Mary froze, answering the door on autopilot, she hardly heard the distant voices telling her how sorry they were that her daughter had died at 10.15pm on her way to Huddersfield General. Feeling totally numb she left the boys with her neighbour and went to the hospital to identify the body of her young daughter.
Sam being only two years old didn’t really understand when Mary sat to explain how his mother and father were both dead but Michael wailed continuously until Mary had to ring the doctor, he never asked one question or mentioned his mother or father again. The unconventional family eventually settled into a routine, with the help of neighbours and the support of their doting grandmother the boys continued their life through school, Sam grew into a popular, happy teenager, but Michael was withdrawn and quiet, Mary constantly worried about him and his future. Turning sixteen Michael announced he wanted to join the navy, totally surprised and worried by this Mary voiced her fears, Michael assured her that it was what he wanted to do so Mary supported him, he joined the navy and went away to complete his training. He came home from time to time to visit his beloved grandmother, always bringing her gifts from the exotic places which he had visited, now at thirty eight he still travels the seas, not yet married and with no children, on his last visit home Mary asked him why he loved the life of a seaman, “because their my family” was his simple explanation, looking at his photograph of him in his uniform which had pride of place on the mantel, Mary smiled, she had assumed he was always lonely and unhappy but that simple statement brought her peace of mind as she suddenly understood his life.
Sarah Peterson – Photograph 2
Born on 1st July in 1960, Sarah Peterson was born into a middleclass family who lived in the leafy suburbs of Croydon, North London. Her Father, Andrew Peterson had commuted into London for a number of years to gain a senior position within the Bloomberg Banking Corporation in the City, her mother, Victoria was a respectable teacher at the local primary school. They had worked hard to gain a good financial status and had recently moved with their two sons, aged seven and nine, into a four bedroom, detached house situated on the new suburban development of Croydon. Overjoyed at the birth of their daughter the family doted on Sarah, her two older brothers David and Robert idolised their younger sister. Growing up Sarah lived a protected and idyllic life, her pony was stabled at the local farm and she attended ballet and jazz dance classes every weekend, the family had regular holidays in Devon and every summer they visited family members in the South of France. When Sarah turned five she attended the local primary school where her mother was a teacher and grew into an excellent scholar, bright and articulate Sarah excelled in her studies, showing a particular talent for Maths. Her proud parents encouraged Sarah with her studies and were particularly pleased when years later she passed her eleven plus exam and was awarded a position at the prestigious Chelsea Grammar School. They rewarded Sarah for her hard work, buying her a horse named moonshine, the horse was a magnificent creature who measuring over 14 hands, he had been trained at the stables where Sarah kept her pony. Sarah loved Moonshine, early every morning she would head straight to the stables and spend the day grooming him and riding for miles through the local countryside, this love of horses continued over the following years, until a tragic accident changed her life forever.
When Sarah was fourteen, her life was perfect, she was doing exceptionally well at school, winning numerous awards for her talents in dancing and horse riding, her older brothers had graduated from university and were both working in the city in professional positions and her parents were talking about moving to a larger house with land and stables for the horses. The summer when Sarah was due to turn fifteen was spent like the previous idyllic summers, riding her horses, a trip to Devon and the family were due to travel to the South of France in the August, but sadly they never made it to France that year as on a shopping trip to London with her mother, Sarah was involved in a terrible car accident resulting in her spending two weeks in intensive care, she had received serious head injuries and had damaged her spine. Her family spent night and day by her bedside willing their beloved daughter to wake up, when her eyes flickered they were elated, she was alive.
Regaining consciousness was just the beginning for Sarah though, the spinal injury had left her with limited movement in her legs, numerous operations and intensive physiotherapy she endured over the following months left Sarah exhausted and in constant pain, eventually allowed home after seven months, Sarah sank into a deep depression. Her family rallied round trying to cheer Sarah up, they took her in her wheelchair to see Moonshine and invited her school friends round but this just made Sarah miss her old life even more. Two years later at nearly seventeen, Sarah eventually could walk with the aid of sticks, although she knew she was lucky to be alive, she missed the freedom of riding Moonshine and dancing with her friends, frustrated and unhappy, she became more depressed as time went on, refusing to go out of the house or to have any visitors. Her worried parents consulted a specialist who advised them of a special unit which had been developed, the private unit, based in rural Hertfordshire, promised rehabilitation and therapy in a controlled environment. Sounding like the perfect solution, Andrew and Victoria visited the unit, set in rolling countryside, the beautiful converted manor house appeared idyllic, meeting the therapists and staff, they were impressed with there promises of counselling Sarah, so they arranged for Sarah to arrive the following Monday and follow a six month programme.
Sarah didn’t object when her parents told her of their plans, in fact she was quite glad to get away for a while, it was becoming irritating having people constantly patronise and lecture her. Arriving at the unit the next week, Sarah was quietly impressed with the surroundings, she slowly settled in, eventually talking to the other patients, the unit was for troubled teenagers from all backgrounds, although expensive, government grants allowed underprivileged teens the opportunity to participate in the six month programme. Sarah became particularly fascinated with the tales of a girl from Harlow, Essex, receiving treatment for drug and alcohol misuse, Tammy had led a vibrant, dysfunctional life which was worlds apart from Sarah’s conventional upbringing. Sarah’s parents visited often and although at first they were pleased that Sarah was making new friends, they became concerned about her relationship with Tammy, they believed she was influencing Sarah and glamorising her past behaviour. Sarah brushed off their concerns and abruptly told her parents to stop interfering, her attitude shocked them and they spoke to the specialist about her altering personality, he assured them that this was part of the rehabilitation programme, but they wasn’t so sure.
On a future visit they hardly recognised their daughter, smoking a cigarette, her face heavily coated in makeup, Victoria gasped as Sarah smirked at her, her usually natural smile had gone and she stared vacantly, hardly speaking throughout their visit, Andrew decided there and then that Sarah was going home with them and went to speak to the consultant, the consultant explained that it wasn’t that simple and said Sarah had to stay for the duration of the programme. Frustrated and upset they headed home, deflated by the news that they could not take their daughter with them, they vowed to gain professional advice. Meanwhile as her parents were appealing for the right to take Sarah home, Sarah was planning to escape with her new friend Tammy, they had plans to head to Brighton, Tammy spoke of the fun they would have and Sarah being naïve and isolated from the real world relished the thought of having some fun, not understanding how different the two girls really were. The following Thursday, they were ready to leave, their bags were packed and their train fare ready, sneaking out amongst the visitors, they ran giggling to the local train station. When Victoria and Andrew turned up on Sunday for there weekly visit they were distraught to find their daughter gone and angry that she had been missing for three days and the unit hadn’t even know about her departure, ringing the police they began the traumatic process of reporting Sarah missing.
Sarah and Tammy had arrived in Brighton, bursting with excitement and eager to explore, they headed to the pier, wandering around the arcades, they soon became bored and entered a bar, three hours later they were drunk, alone in the dark with nowhere to sleep. Hazily deciding to sleep under the pier they were surprised by how many people were in the same position, it was like entering an underground world, they spent three nights under the pier, then the romance of the situation gave way to the harsh reality of their situation, the cold penetrated their bodies as they slept and they became nervous and paranoid about the people around them. Their so called saviour arrived the following night, Jake was in his late twenties, smartly dressed and friendly, he offered the girls a place to stay with the promise of a job, jumping at the chance the two girls headed off into the night with trusting a man they had spoke to for five minutes.
Victoria and Andrew Peterson both sadly died within months of each other in 1996, they had both dedicated the previous twenty years to their missing daughter, searching and appealing in the hope that someday they would eventually find her, they had followed many leads to no avail, the closest they had ever come to finding their daughter had been six months after she had first disappeared, heading to Brighton they had searched the seedy clubs, and spoke to people on the street but no one had seen Sarah or Tammy for weeks, apparently they had gone to London.
The merged history
Michael Daniels was born in Huddersfield general hospital on February 18th 1970, his parents Anna and James were only sixteen but they had got married at Huddersfield registry office the month before. Although not particularly pleased at her daughters choices in life, Mary Brown was supportive and strong throughout Anna’s pregnancy and Michael's birth, suddenly widowed the previous year, Mary saw Michael as a new chapter in her life and this gave her the strength to carry on her life at a deeply depressing time. Returning from hospital and heading home to the dingy flat on the Uptown estate Anna found life as a young mum very difficult, James was more interested in spending time with his friends and they constantly argued, unable to hold a job down for more than a few weeks James was not the ideal father model, his attitude towards Anna deteriorated and his drinking began to spiral out of control.
The arguments got worse and James would disappear for days on end, coming back without any money and leaving Anna in desperate conditions, Mary begged Anna on numerous occasions to stay with her but Anna was strong willed and refused to give up on her young marriage. The police were called to the flat many times, usually summoned by worried neighbours who were woken by the shouting and young Michael crying, but still Anna refused help and willfully continued to carry on with her destructive relationship.
When Michael was two years old Anna returned to her family home, Mary took Anna and Michael in without question and they stayed within the safe confides of Marys home for two weeks until James turned up begging forgiveness and as usual Anna forgave him and returned to the flat on the Uptown Estate.
Six months passed without word from Anna until Mary received a phone call early one Tuesday morning, James had been arrested, charged with the receiving of stolen goods, Anna denied all knowledge and still defended and supported her husband throughout his trial and when he was sentenced to eighteen months she promised to be faithfully by his side. Mary lectured Anna but Anna was obsessed with James and promised to stand by him, whilst incarcerated James wrote to Anna promising a new life and she believed him. On his return from Prison, James, Anna and Michael, still only three years old moved to a new home, a two bedroom house, still on the Uptown estate but it was a fresh start and Anna believed things would be good for the young family. Three months later Anna fell pregnant again, this time, both Anna and James were pleased and Mary hoped that the new baby would bring a new chance for her daughter. When Anna gave birth to Michael's younger brother Sam, James was drunk with his friends in a grotty flat, so it was up to Mary to support her daughter throughout the birth, James returned home two days later and announced he had had enough of dirty nappies and Anna’s nagging, he was moving on, Anna’s, Michael's and baby Sam’s tears didn’t affect James as he turned his back on his young family and walked out of the door.
After the initial devastation of losing James, Anna’s life improved dramatically, she made a life changing decision to move far away so they could start again. They moved to Thomasville, Alabama where his mother met Robert Dean, an ex Marine. they moved into his country house where there was acres of fields where Robert would grow crops of corn for a living. Robert was strict. During meal times Michael would keep quiet, too scared to say a word incase he provoked Robert into a sudden outburst of anger. Michael was a shy and lonely boy, he found it hard to make new friends being in such a small town. One night Michael was in bed trying to sleep, but a strange rustling sound from the crops kept him awake. Too curious to sleep Michael climbed out of bed and slipped his slippers on to investigate the mysterious sounds. Creeping past his Parents room Michael paused to think if this was a good decision, but his curiosity forced him to carry on. Outside near the crops. Michael’s heart started to beat faster and faster as he edged deeper into the crops. Suddenly there was a loud cracking sound. Without thinking Michael broke out into a sprint back to the house, not stopping to take a breath or look behind. Back in his room Michael curled up in a ball and tried not to think about how much trouble he would be in tomorrow.
Michael was woke the next day to the shouting and banging of his step father packing his mothers bags. They were to leave, Robert had found one of Michaels slippers in the middle of a fresh new crop circle. Strange massive, perfectly round circles and shapes that Michael was to blame for.
So once again they had to move, Anna had nowhere to go but back home to her mother, and the two women continued to support each other again and look after Michael and Sam, Anna looked better than she had in years and even managed to get herself a part time job at the local chip shop. James became a distant memory until one night he turned up at the chip shop where Anna worked, begging forgiveness and with the usual promises of change. Anna arranged to meet him the following night, although she had grown stronger over the previous months, she still had a weakness where James was concerned and believed she should give him a chance to talk. The following evening on the pretense that she was visiting friends, Anna went off to meet James, he was late as usual and she was about to turn away and head home, when she heard a car, James didn’t hold a license so she was puzzled to how he had acquired a vehicle, she got in and realized immediately that this was going to be a mistake, James stank of beer and Anna felt uneasy, telling James she had changed her mind she attempted to get out of the car but James sped off before she could open the door. Erratically driving at speed James didn’t say a word, Anna was crying and begging him to stop but James ignored her, he flew around the corner heading towards the estate, when he lost control, hitting a parked car and careering off the road into a wall.
Mary felt uneasy that night, after putting Michael and Sam to bed she tried to settle and watch TV but constantly felt the urge to check out of the window to see if her daughter was on her way home, when she saw the Police heading up her drive, Mary froze, answering the door on autopilot, she hardly heard the distant voices telling her how sorry they were that her daughter had died at 10.15pm on her way to Huddersfield General. Feeling totally numb she left the boys with her neighbour and went to the hospital to identify the body of her young daughter.
Sam being only two years old didn’t really understand when Mary sat to explain how his mother and father were both dead but Michael wailed continuously until Mary had to ring the doctor, he never asked one question or mentioned his mother or father again. The unconventional family eventually settled into a routine, with the help of neighbours and the support of their doting grandmother the boys continued their life through school, Sam grew into a popular, happy teenager, but Michael was withdrawn and quiet, Mary constantly worried about him and his future. Turning sixteen Michael announced he wanted to join the navy, totally surprised and worried by this Mary voiced her fears, Michael assured her that it was what he wanted to do so Mary supported him, he joined the navy and went away to complete his training. He came home from time to time to visit his beloved grandmother, always bringing her gifts from the exotic places which he had visited, now at thirty eight he still travels the seas, not yet married and with no children, on his last visit home Mary asked him why he loved the life of a seaman, “because their my family” was his simple explanation, looking at his photograph of him in his uniform which had pride of place on the mantel, Mary smiled, she had assumed he was always lonely and unhappy but that simple statement brought her peace of mind as she suddenly understood his life.
The Poster displaying his life in images, a large newspaper picture of the navy was used, we scratched out the faces then placed an image of the photograph and the information which was displayed on the envelope containing the photograph.
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