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Wallinger's Horse in the Running for Angel of the South

by Zoe Strimpel
Fri, 9 May 2008

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Contenders for the Angel of the South sculpture commission this week
presented models of their ideas, with Mark Wallinger tipped to be the most
likely artist to win. Mr. Wallinger is famous for his recreation of the
anti-war protest outside the houses of Parliament, which was shown at Tate Britain, and for winning the Turner prize for loping around in a bear suit on video.

"Angel of the South" is Britain's largest art commission to date and will appear as a landmark to celebrate the building of Ebbsfleet International station in Kent (Eurostar passes through) and the Ebbsfleet valley, where 10,000 new homes have been built. Mr. Wallinger proposes a giant white horse. At 50 meters (or 492 hands), each of the stallion's hooves will be the same height as an adult. According to the artist, the horse can be made within the £2 million budget. It would certainly provide a pleasing counterpoint to Antony Gormley's sinister brown Angel of the North.

Other possibilities are Richard Deacon's steel structure of 26 interconnected polyhedrons and Christopher Le Brun's giant wing, based on Mercury, the winged god of travelers.

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