What’s in a nose?
asserted
What → ’ → nose
Rather, what does the nose represent?
asserted
nose → represent → what
In 1997, noses embodied Big Brother society, at least as far as the artist Rick Buckley was concerned.
asserted
artist → embody → society
In a protest against the emerging surveillance state of the 1990s, Buckley made 35 plaster-of-paris casts of his own hooter and attached them to walls around London.
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Buckley → emerge → London
Each one arrived in opposition to the proliferation of CCTV cameras at a time when the Home Office was spending about 78 per cent of its crime-prevention budget on the technology.
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Office → arrive → technology
And so arrived noses on important public buildings: one appeared outside the National Gallery; another popped up at Tate Britain.
asserted
another → arrive → Britain
You see, Buckley installed his guerrilla sculptures right “under the nose” of the authorities.
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Buckley → see → authorities
At the time, he didn’t publicise his project at all.
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he → publicise → project
And he painted the casts to match the walls they were fixed to.
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they → paint → walls
His aim was to see whether he could install his pieces undetected and have them become part of the buildings themselves.
uncertain
them → see → buildings
A strong whiff of mystery
They appeared mysteriously — nobody knew who was behind them, until 2011, when The Standard uncloaked the artist — and many were immediately removed.
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many → appear → artist
Or maybe the powers-that-be discovered Buckley’s flagrant disregard for bricks and mortar and failed to see the funny side, as is so often the case.
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powers → discover → side
Nevertheless, today seven noses remain, or so it’s said.
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it → remain → ?
Five are reportedly in Soho, from D’Arblay Street to Bateman Street, perched among the drinkers in the city’s maddest square mile.
uncertain
Five → perch → mile
But “the Seven Noses of Soho” moniker was created anyway, and has stuck, and fair enough.
asserted
moniker → create → Soho
Many noses have fallen in its quarter over the years.
asserted
noses → fall → years
These ones endure.
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ones → endure → ?
Back in 2012, Buckley, from Hackney, explained his work to The Standard: “At the time there was this debate about the number of CCTV cameras.
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Buckley → explain → cameras
A lot of people took offence to it.
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lot → take → it
They saw it as an infringement of their liberty.
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They → see → liberty
I was reading about the Situationists.
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I → read → Situationists
“Buckley boasts a pleasing nose: it’s neither too big, nor too small”
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it → boast → nose
“They were artists and writers who did these sporadic, illegal actions.
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who → do → actions
I guess you would call it performance art today.
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you → guess → it
That inspired me as well.
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That → inspire → me
I wanted to see if I could get away with it without being detected.
uncertain
I → want → it
The afterthought was that it would be great if these protrusions would become part of the structure themselves.”
It stands to reason that much of the curiosity has been lost almost 30 years later, but the noses are still a point of analogue, architectural eccentricity in our modern city, one shaped more by AI and self-driving cars than whimsical takes on broad topics.
asserted
noses → become → topics
The noses now exist mostly unnoticed: London is busy and frenetic and who has time to stop and look up?
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who → exist → time
Read More
Myths and stories about the artworks live on.
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Myths → read → artworks
There’s a legend that suggests that if anybody finds all seven, they will become roaringly wealthy — art, or more pressingly, admiration thereof, can bring fortune.
uncertain
art → ’ → fortune
Another story states that architects used to “stamp” their buildings with a cast of their noses, a sort of nostril-led signature to signify expertise (if only — these days the steel and glass buildings of London all look much the same close up, even if some of the city’s latest skyscrapers are impressively tall, shapely and shiny from afar).
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some → state → skyscrapers
For a long while, speculative types suggested the nose close to Trafalgar Square was a replica of Napoleon’s snout for passing cavalrymen to tweak.
uncertain
cavalrymen → suggest → snout
Another rumour states the schnoz is a replica of the Admiral Lord Nelson’s — a gentleman famous for possessing a notably large one as much as for his maritime nous — acting as a potential replacement were his own to be damaged while he was raised all the way up to the top of his famous column.
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he → state → column
Sadly untrue, of course (the dates don’t add up, even nearly), though who’s to say the nose won’t one day be put to practical use?
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nose → add → use
Nelson’s column was erected in 1843 and must be suffering wear and tear.
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column → erect → wear
In my own experience, I’m not convinced there are seven noses left — I think one or two have gone missing, removed by some drunk fool intent on taking some of London home with them or by an enterprising plastic surgeon.
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one → ’m → surgeon
Buckley boasts a pleasing nose: it’s neither too big, nor too small; it has a little ridge, the sort that elevates a face rather than takes it over.
asserted
that → boast → it
To that end, were I looking to improve my own, a flight to Turkey booked, I might take one of the Soho noses with me as a ready-made example of what I desire.
uncertain
I → look → what
Beyond speculation, the noses have lost much of their early significance.
asserted
noses → lose → significance
Buckley’s nasal-based intervention was largely ineffective.
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intervention → base → ?
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
