It may have been chucking it down but spirits remained resolutely high at this morning's (29 September) unveiling of David Shrigley's giant bronze thumbs-up sculpture on the Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square. The seven metre elongated thumb has the upbeat title of Really Good. The artist informed the damp gathering that the work is about the idea that not only art, but also all of us can—and should—"make the world a better place".
Shrigley then handed over to euphoric mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who acted as a rousingly animated MC, leading the shouted mass-countdown to the unveiling. But before the drapes were whipped off to reveal the erect digit, the mayor, who was somewhat dwarfed by the lofty Shrigley (not to mention his sculpture), raised a laugh from the crowd with his self-deprecating observation. As someone who is "five foot six inches in height", Khan said, he was glad "we made sure that for my first public sculpture unveiling, we found the highest sculpture and the tallest artist." Thumbs up all round!