Nude plinth man sparks complaint

[Stuart]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8233636.stm

A complaint has been lodged after a man stood naked on a Trafalgar Square plinth as part of the ongoing One and Other art installation.

Justin Holwell stripped and posed naked on the fourth plinth during his one-hour slot from 1400 BST on Sunday.

Ex-detective Mark Williams-Thomas said his wife and children were "annoyed and upset". He complained to police but Mr Holwell was not taken off the plinth.

A police spokesman said it was not a crime to appear naked in public.

Artist Antony Gormley's One and Other project enables public volunteers to stand on the central London square's fourth plinth for one hour at a time.

They are allowed to do anything during that time, as long as it is not illegal.

Mr Holwell, 24, from Loughborough in Leicestershire, said he confirmed with event producer Artichoke that he would be permitted to undress while on the plinth.

Afterwards he said: "I was chatting to my mates about it, they see me as a bit of an exhibitionist, this seemed the natural way to go."

Mr Holwell, who works in a double-glazing factory, added: "It's the human form, everyone's the same, it's not like I'm showing off something that no one else has got."

But Mr Williams-Thomas, a former Surrey Police detective constable, said his three children, aged between eight and 13 years old, were "very shocked and embarrassed" by Mr Holwell's nudity.

He approached nearby police officers and asked them to intervene. However, after contacting a superintendent, the officers said they would not take any action against Mr Holwell.

Mr Williams-Thomas subsequently complained to the Metropolitan Police.

Mr Williams-Thomas said: "I fully expected that the surrounding police or organisers would stop this man. To my total surprise they stood by and did nothing."

He added: "This was a public place and therefore I should be able to take my children without the fear of them having a man naked exposing himself."

Mr Williams-Thomas said Mr Holwell committed an offence under common law by exposing himself.

'No obscenity'

But a Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "We have been advised that appearing naked in public is not a crime unless it is of lewd or obscene nature."

Event producer Artichoke said a number of participants have chosen to remove their clothes.

A spokeswoman said: "The essential artistic idea behind One and Other is that each participant is free to do as they please, provided it is legal and safe."

She added: "We have been working with the Metropolitan Police for several months and they agree that there is nothing illegal in nudity, provided no obscenity is committed, which is why they did not intervene in this case."

Earlier last month police ordered a One and Other participant to put his underpants back on after he appeared naked on the plinth.

[rdw200790]

that being said.....


I CHALLENGE ALL PEOPLE IN LONDON

go to work naked today.... remember not to be lewd or obscene

[Nude_not_rude]

  You're kidding, that former detective was the one wowser in the crowd trying desperately to stop others having their fun. He of all people should know the law. Grrrrrrrrr.

[sydney25]

That is great news he was allowed to be naked as apparently the superintendent said it was not illegal to be naked. However, earlier this month another man on the plinth was ordered to put his underpants on by police after appearing naked so clearly the is some confusion among police as to the law unless he was comitting some sort of obscene or lewd act. Of course, what is considered as lewd or offensive can be very subjective and at times ambiguous. Sounds to me that to this ex-detective public nudity alone is lewd and offensive 

[Stuart]

More on the BBC on this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8235959.stm

[Stuart]

And the Daily Mash lowers the tone:

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/politics/politics-headlines/naked-brown-coaxed-off-trafalgar-square-plinth-200909032029/

 

[Stuart]

And the naked plinth saga continues:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8237104.stm

Naked man jumps off fourth plinth

A naked man has thrown himself off the fourth plinth in London's Trafalgar Square.

The man had earlier thrown down a pair of inflatable sex dolls before stripping and hurling himself into the safety net which surrounds the plinth.

He also took a live chicken on to the plinth which had to be rescued by security staff after the man, who called himself Gunter, ran away.

A spokesman for the project said both the chicken the man were unhurt.

The fourth plinth is being occupied 24 hours a day by members of the public for 100 days as part of an art project called One And Other, created by artist Antony Gormley.

Free willy

On Thursday, some of the crowd were themselves naked except for paper signs taped around their waists on which they had written slogans about nudity.

One had the words "Free Willy" written across his groin area.

They also shouted through megaphones to complain about double standards because scantily clad women were used as a marketing tool but naked men were unacceptable.

Gunter went on to the platform wearing a green SpiderMan-style suit with his face covered and then disappeared into a pop-up tent which he took with him.

He blew up inflatable models including the sex dolls and a crocodile.

Gunter later emerged and stripped naked before sitting with his head in his hands on the edge of the plinth. Towards the end of his hour he jumped into the safety net.

He then swung down from the plinth with a zebra print dressing gown hanging loosely off him, dropped on to the ground and ran through the square barefoot.

A spokeswoman said: "Everyone was laughing. There was quite a lot of hilarity but I don't think there was any particular problem."

Gunter is thought to be the seventh person to strip on the plinth.

On Sunday afternoon, Justin Holwell stripped and posed naked on the fourth plinth during his one-hour slot.

A member of the public has lodged a complaint which the Metropolitan Police is considering.

[Kez]

that one sounds bizarre.

i'd have got naked on the plinth if i had been chosen to go up there.  maybe got in a nice comfortable pose with a sign saying "look mum, i'm art".

idk why, that just popped into my head.

[brandon]

I had to search to see what a "plinth" is.

[sydney25]

When I was at Trafalgar Square in London a few weeks ago they had a guy dressed as a gorilla on the plinth. It takes all sorts to make a world 

[sydney25]

For those of you interested in the plinth and my gorilla I filmed this in Trafalgar Square in London in July 

Trafalgar Square, London