27/08/2009

Andy Warhol once said that some day, everyone would get their 15 minutes of fame - so in true artistic spirit, tourism body Visit York has joined forces with two women from the city to showcase York as part of Antony Gormley's ‘One and Other' project in London.

Lynn Harper, 67, of York, took to Trafalgar Square's empty fourth plinth - the centrepiece of this project - at 5am this morning.  Lynn chose to dedicate part of her hour's performance to telling the world about the free things you can enjoy when you visit York. 

Sporting an ‘I Love Y' T shirt, designed by Adam Greenwood, a 27 year old filmmaker from City Screen, Lynn talked about the National Railway Museum, York Art Gallery, the City Walls, Museum Gardens, York Cemetery, Rowntree Park, Evensong at York Minster, York's 19 medieval churches, the city's many free walking trails and the opportunity visitors have to browse York's medieval streets and soak up its unique architecture.

Lynn said of her choice of subject on the plinth, ‘I decided to spend some time talking about the wonderful things visitors can experience in York for free, as my slot on the plinth comes at a time when people are watching what they spend, and in particular for families, it's important that they feel they can still enjoy a day out on a budget.  I think York is a great city to visit and I'm keen to share this with others.'

Lynn also enjoyed a Yorkshire breakfast up on the plinth, with a variety of local produce including honey, marmalade and Yorkshire Apple Juice - drank out of a Yorkshire mug.  Lynn's performance on the plinth can be viewed at www.oneandother.co.uk

Later this month, Rita Leaman, 60, of York, is set to take her slot on the plinth on 26 September at 4am.  As founder of the York Human Givens Centre in York, Rita's hour will be a ‘celebration of families', with Rita talking about the different ‘families' in her life, of which York plays a big part.  Rita is keeping a blog of her journey to the plinth at http://fourthplinth.blogspot.com

Gillian Cruddas, Chief Executive of Visit York, said ‘We're delighted to be supporting both Lynn and Rita as they take part in this fantastic project, and we're proud of the fact that both women wanted to talk about York as part of their performance.  This is an excellent example of the modern and creative opportunities we have available to spread the word about what our fabulous city has to offer.'

‘One and Other' is sculptor Antony Gormley's latest project.  Every hour, 24 hours a day, for 100 days without a break, he has asked the people of the UK to occupy the empty Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square in London.  Each ‘plinther' is filmed and their hour is broadcast live on www.oneandother.co.uk , with the performance also available online for the duration of the project. ‘One and Other' has run from 6 July 2009, and will be operating until 14 October.  One & Other is open to anyone and everyone from any corner of the UK.

Gillian Cruddas has applied to go on the Fourth Plinth to highlight the diversity of York's offer as a tourist destination and is currently waiting to find out if she has got a slot.  Visit York is also keen to hear from York residents or regular visitors to the city who have applied themselves to go on the plinth, or would like to get up there and shout about York. Send your stories to Kay Hyde, PR Manager on kh@visityork.org