Thirty-five statues in London and Manchester have come to life, courtesy of Sing London. Writers and actors have contributed to making these statues live, and each has their own story to tell. This is a fabulous idea because many times I have walked by a statue and have paused to look at it, but only a plaque bearing the name of the statue (or individual depicted in the statue) exists. The plaque normally does not tell the story about the statue or the person, so the importance of the statue is unknown and thus a bit meaningless to the visitor without this knowledge.
Goat
Talking Statues allows visitors to use their smartphones to swipe a tag near to the statue or to type in a website address to make the statue "ring" the phone and speak to them. Some statues speak about the historical importance of London and their significance as a part of it or witnessing the world and people evolving around them.
Eye-I
I discovered a few of these statues and guessed the website for their audio clips for the remaining ones that I did not visit so that I could hear them. The audio clips must be accessed with a smartphone. (For more technical readers, simply change your User Agent in your browser to a mobile device of your choice.*)
I have included the list of audio clips from the talking statues in London and in Manchester:
London
- Hodge the Cat: speak2.co/Hodge
- Hodge was a beloved and spoilt cat that his master used to feed the best shellfish. This commentary talks about Hodge.
- Sherlock Holmes: speak2.co/sherlock
- This commentary discusses the famous character Sherlock Holmes and separates fact from fiction, such as the portrayal of the detective and his thoughts of standing facing the exit/entrance to Baker Street station and watching people.
- Isaac Newton: speak2.co/isaac
- Isaac Newton talks directly to the viewer and discusses gravity and science, including some of his discoveries and his childhood. According to the scientist, the world will end in 2060...
- Whittington's Cat: speak2.co/cat
- Dick Whittington bought his cat Tommy for a penny. Dick was not wealthy but heard the bells of Bow church with a message that he would be a mayor. He ended up making a lot of money from his cat's ability to catch mice, and he became mayor of London three times.
- Hugh Myddleton: speak2.co/hugh
- This witty commentary describes who Hugh is and why he deserves a statue. He got a statue because he brought clean water into London.
- Peter Pan: speak2.co/peter
- Peter Pan tells a little bit of his story and addresses the viewer, appealing to their childhood.
- Goat: speak2.co/goat
- The goat statue (pictured above), stands in Spitalfields. This commentary talks about the "melting pot" and evolving culture of Spitalfields.
- The Broad Family: speak2.co/broad
- Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams voices the commentary for this statue, which is told through the eyes of one of the blocks (the one with feet) and her adventures climbing the stairs next to the statue and experiencing how quiet the City is at weekends.
- Eye-I: speak2.co/eye
- This abstract sculpture (pictured above), discusses all of the people that pass by it each day. The statue sees everything.
- Rowland Hill: speak2.co/hill
- Rowland Hill invented the postage stamp, the Penny Post. As you may know, letters were sent but the receiver had to pay the cost. The idea of the stamp came from Rowland as he witnessed a girl receive a letter from her lover, but she handed it back as she was unable to afford the cost. The government was originally against the idea of the Penny Post, but the public supported it.
- Ariel and Prospero: speak2.co/ariel
- These magical characters were based on a Shakespeare play, and they are located on BBC Broadcasting House. The statue caused controversy in its time because the statue is nude.
- Brunel: speak2.co/brunel
- The architect/engineer Brunel provides commentary and discusses his work on the trainline from London to Bristol, which was constructed because he wanted to create public transport for the masses.
- The Unknown Soldier: speak2.co/soldier
- This soldier was the focus of World War I poetry earlier in the year. The soldier reads a letter from his mother, which has been written into a poem.
Manchester
- John Wilkes: speak2.co/john
- John Wilkes discusses conducting and music during the first war, and he played on the Western Front.
- Lincoln: speak2.co/lincoln
- This statue of Abraham Lincoln addresses the people in Manchester and talks about American history during the Civil War. Manchester, an industrial town, would not purchase cotton from the southern states because of its use of slavery. As a result of not buying the cotton, Manchester suffered because its mills closed.
- Alan Turing: speak2.co/alan
- This stuttering and troubled statue is dedicated to the codebreaker of the German code in Bletchley Park during World War II. Apparently and despite all the breakthroughs he made, he was prosecuted for homosexuality and treated extremely poorly. What a sad story.
- The Reading Girl: speak2.co/reading
- Voiced by Doctor Who companion Jenna Louise Coleman, the Italian statue of a girl describes watching people in Manchester and reading books.
- L.S. Lowry: speak2.co/lowry
- L.S. Lowry is an artist and was inspired by painting industry.
Broad Family
To listen to these recordings while looking at the statue in its surroundings is a treat. The Broad Family commentary used the statues and its surroundings to construct a story as told by the "child" in the family. If wandering past and not in a hurry, take a moment to listen to the statues.
* Firefox browser has an 'add-on' for User Agent Switcher, and after this is installed, an XML file of user agents can be added in order to switch. This mimics a different browser or device.
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