Sawt Falasteen - New London sculpture pays tribute to trans community

Teresa Margolles' "Mil Veces un Instante" ("A Thousand Times in an Instant") comprises plaster casts of the faces of 726 trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people.

The sculpture, commissioned by the mayor's office, will now occupy one of the four plinths in the central London landmark, in front of the National Gallery, for two years.

Over that time, the sculpture will change shape due to the materials used.

"Let it be known that there are no job opportunities and no health care" for trans people in Latin America, Margolles told AFP.

"And above all, hate crimes, because in Latin America people migrate because of hate crimes. They try to get to the United States thinking that they will at least have a life," she added.

The sculptor was inspired by a friend, a trans woman named Karla, who was murdered in 2015 in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. The crime remains unsolved.

"She was the one who introduced me to dialogue with the community," explained the 61-year-old artist.

Terry Holiday, a member of the trans community in Mexico, travelled to London for Wednesday's unveiling.

Holiday, whose face is among the 726 casts, said that "for us, this visibility given to the situation of indifference and helplessness that trans women go through in Mexico and Latin America is very important".

"We are people, we are all human beings, we deserve the same treatment," added Holiday, who is also an artist.

Built in 1841, the fourth plinth was intended to house an equestrian statue of William IV but funds ran dry.

Since 1999 it has hosted 15 temporary works.

Previous installations have included a strutting horse skeleton displaying stock exchange share prices, a huge blue fibreglass cockerel and a bronze thumbs-up gesture standing 10 metres (35 feet high).

R.Shaban--SF-PST