The statue of slave trader Edward Colston has been secretly replaced overnight by a figure of a Black Lives Matter protester.
Last month, the 18th century merchant’s statue was torn down, dragged a third of a mile and thrown into the Bristol harbour.
His empty spot has been filled with a monument to Jen Reid – who was photographed on the plinth with her fist raised after the statue fell, inspiring the new installation.
A cardboard placard reading ‘black lives still matter’ was also placed at the base.
Edward Colston’s empty spot has been filled with a monument to Jen Reid (pictured)
Titled ‘A Surge of Power (Jen Reid) 2020’, the black resin and steel statue was erected in an operation at 5am this morning
But the council apparently wasn’t informed of the move and it is unclear if it will remain.
Titled ‘A Surge of Power (Jen Reid) 2020’, the black resin and steel statue was erected in an operation at 5am this morning.
A team of ten people led by artist Marc Quinn worked quickly and in secret – with the local council said to be uninvolved in the stunt.
Workers arrived in two lorries and had the sculpture up within 15 minutes using a hydraulic crane truck parked next to the plinth.
Ms Reid told BBC Breakfast this morning the new statue had not been approved by the council, but added: ‘I think it’s something that the people of Bristol will really appreciate seeing.’
Quinn told The Guardian: ‘Jen created the sculpture when she stood on the plinth and raised her arm in the air. Now we’re crystallising it.’
He said the statue would be a ‘temporary public installation’.
Pictured: The statue of Edward Colston being pulled from its plinth in Bristol city centre, June 7
Protesters throw the statue of Edward Colston into Bristol harbour during a Black Lives Matter protest rally
The plinth has been largely empty in the weeks following the protests apart from a few temporary installations – including a mannequin of paedophile Jimmy Savile.
Bristol City Council and mayor Marvin Rees had said previously that a decision on the future of the plinth would be made democratically.
The statue of Colston is currently being restored after being fished from the water and will eventually be placed in a musuem.
Writing on his website marcquinn.com, the artist said: ‘This sculpture captures a moment. It happened in the middle of the news and the worldwide ripple effect from George Floyd’s killing – all of which I had been following.
‘My friend who knew this showed me a picture on Instagram of Jen standing on the plinth in Bristol with her fist in a Black Power salute. My first, instant thought was how incredible it would be to make a sculpture of her, in that instant. It is such a powerful image, of a moment I felt had to be materialised, forever.’
Quinn writes that he then contacted Ms Reid over social media, and she said she wanted to ‘collaborate’.
He adds: ‘Keeping the issue of Black people’s lives and experiences in the public eye and doing whatever I can to help is so important. Those of us who have privilege have a duty to be part of change.
A team of ten people led by artist Marc Quinn worked quickly and in secret – with the local council said to be uninvolved in the stunt
A black resin and steel statue titled A Surge of Power (Jen Reid) 2020, by Marc Quinn is installed on the vacant Edward Colston plinth in Bristol city centre
‘Something that Desmond Tutu said resonates with me strongly: ”If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
‘I think this sums up how we’ve reached the point where white people have to be allies and white people in positions of power need to speak up and actively combat racism.
‘For me this has meant taking time to educate myself, listen to others and find a meaningful way of contributing. The reasons why Jen wanted to do this together are so important, this sculpture is an embodiment and amplification of Jen’s ideas and experiences, and of the past, present and her hope for a better future.’
His website also states that in 2005, he made a sculpture of Alison Lapper Pregnant for Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth.
Ms Reid, in a joint statement with the artist, wrote: ‘On my way home from the protests on 7 June, I felt an overwhelming impulse to climb onto the plinth, just completely driven to do it by the events which had taken place right before. Seeing the statue of Edward Colston being thrown into the river felt like a truly historical moment; huge.
‘When I was stood there on the plinth, and raised my arm in a Black Power salute, it was totally spontaneous, I didn’t even think about it. It was like an electrical charge of power was running through me.
‘My immediate thoughts were for the enslaved people who died at the hands of Colston and to give them power. I wanted to give George Floyd power, I wanted to give power to Black people like me who have suffered injustices and inequality. A surge of power out to them all.
‘I’m collaborating with Marc Quinn on this project as he cares about pushing inclusion to the forefront of people’s minds and uses his art to make people think.
‘Creating this sculpture is so important as it helps keep the journey towards racial justice and equity moving, because Black lives matter every day.
‘This sculpture is about making a stand for my mother, for my daughter, for Black people like me.
‘It’s about Black children seeing it up there. It’s something to feel proud of, to have a sense of belonging, because we actually do belong here and we’re not going anywhere.’