Talking Statues

Talking Statues is a project that was created in 2013 by documentary filmmaker David Peter Fox,^[1] who is based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Inspired by the book, Sculptures in Copenhagen by Jens Peters Munk, Fox went on to provide a history and backstory for the figures represented by the statues. The project consists of prerecorded voice-overs that are matched to various statues found in public areas using QR codes.^[2] The first talking statue was the statue of Hans Christian Andersen in the King's Garden in Copenhagen^[1] and, later, talking statues were created for public areas in cities such as Helsinki, New York, London, San Diego, Chicago, Vilnius, Parma, Dublin, Berlin, and Manchester.

The City of Copenhagen funded the initial project, and the monologues were written by film director Carsten Rudolf in collaboration with David Peter Fox. Actor Jens Jacob Tychsen spoke the monologues.

List of statues[edit]

Copenhagen[edit]

Statue	Location	Author	Actor(s)
Hans Christian Andersen	King's Garden	Carsten Rudolf / David Peter Fox	Jens Jacob Tychsen
N. F. S. Grundtvig	Vartov Yard	Carsten Rudolf / David Peter Fox	Jens Jacob Tychsen
Søren Kierkegaard	Royal Library Garden	Carsten Rudolf / David Peter Fox	Jens Jacob Tychsen
Ludvig Holberg	The Royal Theater, Copenhagen	Carsten Rudolf / David Peter Fox	Jens Jacob Tychsen
Adam Oehlenschläger	The Royal Theater, Copenhagen	Carsten Rudolf / David Peter Fox	Jens Jacob Tychsen
Frederik V	Amalienborg Palace Square	Carsten Rudolf / David Peter Fox	Jens Jacob Tychsen
Christian IV	Øster Voldgade, Copenhagen	Carsten Rudolf / David Peter Fox	Jens Jacob Tychsen
Tycho Brahe	Copenhagen Observatorium	Carsten Rudolf / David Peter Fox	Jens Jacob Tychsen
Hans Christian Andersen	City Town Hall, Copenhagen	Carsten Rudolf / David Peter Fox	Jens Jacob Tychsen
Hans Christian Ørsted	Ørstedsparken, Copenhagen	Carsten Rudolf / David Peter Fox	Jens Jacob Tychsen

London[edit]

Statue	Location	Author	Actor(s)
Peter Pan	Kensington Gardens	Ella Hickson	Daniel Roche
Queen Victoria	Blackfriars Bridge	Elizabeth Day	Prunella Scales
Dick Whittington’s Cat	Highgate Hill	Helen Lederer	Helen Lederer
Hugh Myddleton	Islington Green	Tom Basden	Jonny Sweet
The Goat	Spitalfields Market	Hugh Dennis	Hugh Dennis
Eye I	Bishopsgate	Sara Pascoe	Sara Pascoe
John Wilkes	Fetter Lane, Holborn	Jeremy Paxman	Jeremy Paxman
Rowland Hill	City of London	Colette Hiller	Alan Johnson, MP
Hodge the Cat	Gough Square, Holborn	Catherine Hiller	Nicholas Parsons
Isaac Newton	British Library	Timberlake Wertenbaker	Simon Russell Beale
Sherlock Holmes	Baker Street station	Anthony Horowitz	Ed Stoppard
"The Plumber's Apprentice	Paddington station	Rachel Wagstaff	Hugh Bonneville
George Orwell"	BBC Broadcasting House	Robert Seatter	Mathew Horne
Queen Victoria	Kensington Palace	Katrina Burnett	Patricia Hodge

Manchester[edit]


Statue	Location	Author	Actor(s)

Abraham Lincoln	Brazenoze Square	Gary Younge	Tom Conti
Reading Girl	Manchester Central Library	Jacqueline Wilson	Jenna Coleman
Alan Turing	Fairfield Street	Mark Ravenhill	Russell Tovey
LS Lowry	Sam's Chophouse	Kiran Benawara	David Neilson
John Barbirolli	Bridgewater Hall	Michael Kennedy	Timothy West
Queen Victoria	Piccadilly Gardens	Katrina Burnett	Prunella Scales

New York[edit]

Statue	Location	Author	Actor(s)
Harriet Tubman	Christoper Park	Eric Marcus	Harrison Ghee, Claybourne Elder, Rosa Gilmore, Conrad Ricamora, and Tony nominee Jenn Colella
Robert Burns	Central Park	Wendy MacLeod	Andrew Barret
Harriet Tubman	Harlem	Terry McMillan	Patti Richards
William Shakespeare	Central Park	Marc Acito	Michael Perrie Jr
Lincoln	New-York Historical Society		Pete Simpson
Frederick Douglass	New York-Historical Society	Terry McMillan	Robert Lacy Jr
George Washington	Federal Hall	Wendy MacLeod	Bart Shatto
Ludwig van Beethoven	Central Park	Wendy MacLeod	Bruce Kramer
George Washington	Brooklyn	Wendy MacLeod	Bart Shatto
Hans Christian Andersen	Central Park	Kim Fupz Aakeson	Mads Mikkelsen
John Ericsson	Battery Park	Marc Acito	David Dencik
Gertrude Stein	Bryant Park	Marc Acito	Stacey Lightman
Antonín Dvořák	Stuyvesant Square Park	Marc Acito	Jan Triska
Giovanni da Verrazzano	Battery Park	Joe Giordano	Roberto Ragone
Abraham Lincoln	Union Square		Pete Simpson
Gandhi	Union Square	Thrity Umrigar
Peter Stuyvesant	Stuyvesant Square	Christine Otten	Michael Wouters
George Washington	Union Square	Wendy MacLeod	Bart Shatto
Confucius	Confucius Plaza	Jean Kwok	Geoff Lee
Balto	Central Park	Wendy MacLeod	Jakob Oftebro

Dublin[edit]

Statue	Location	Author	Actor(s)
James Joyce	Earl Street North	Roddy Doyle	Gabriel Byrne
James Connolly	Beresford Place	Brendan O'Carroll	Brendan O'Carroll
James Larkin	O'Connell Street	Enda Walsh	Stephen Rea
O'Connell Monument	O'Connell Street	Paula Meehan	Ruth Negga
Wolfe Tone	St Stephen's Green	Patrick McCabe	Brendan Gleeson
Oscar Wilde	Merrion Square North	John Banville	Andrew Scott
Meeting Place	Liffey Street Lower	Rachel Kilfeather	Brenda Fricker
George Bernard Shaw	Merrion Square West	Arthur Mathews	Stephen Brennan
Molly Malone	Suffolk Street	Michaela Mcmahon	Maria Doyle Kennedy
George Salmon	Trinity College Dublin, College Green	Joe Duffy	Joe Duffy

Rome[edit]

Statue	Location	Author	Actor(s)
Fontana del Tritone	Rome	David Peter Fox	Gabriel Byrne
Bocca della Verita	Rome	David Peter Fox	Brendan O'Carroll
Statua di Giulio Cesare	Rome	David Peter Fox	Stephen Rea
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa	Rome	David Peter Fox	Ruth Negga
Mosè di Michelangelo	Rome	David Peter Fox	Brendan Gleeson
Statue of Marcus Aurelius	Rome	David Peter Fox	Andrew Scott
Il Babuino	Rome	David Peter Fox	Brendan Gleeson
Augustus of Prima Porta	Rome	David Peter Fox	Brendan Gleeson
Madama Lucrezia	Rome	David Peter Fox	Andrew Scott
Statue of Marcus Aurelius	Rome	David Peter Fox	Andrew Scott
Statue of Marcus Aurelius	Rome	David Peter Fox	Andrew Scott
Lupa Capitolina	Rome	David Peter Fox	Brenda Fricker
Abate Luigi	Rome	David Peter Fox	Stephen Brennan
Marforio	Rome	David Peter Fox	Maria Doyle Kennedy
Laocoön and His Sons	Rome	David Peter Fox	Joe Duffy

Paris[edit]

Statue	Location	Author	Actor(s)
Saint Denis statue	Paris	David Peter Fox	Gabriel Byrne
Le Passe-Muraille	Paris	David Peter Fox	Brendan O'Carroll
Statua di Giulio Cesare	Paris	David Peter Fox	Stephen Rea
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa	Paris	David Peter Fox	Ruth Negga
Statue du Général Charles de Gaulle	Paris	David Peter Fox	Brendan Gleeson
Statue of Georges Washington	Paris	David Peter Fox	Andrew Scott
Flamme de la Liberté	Paris	David Peter Fox	Brendan Gleeson
Augustus of Prima Porta	Paris	David Peter Fox	Brendan Gleeson
Statue de Jeanne d'Arc	Paris	David Peter Fox	Andrew Scott
Obélisque de Louxor	Paris	David Peter Fox	Andrew Scott
Buste de Dalida	Paris	David Peter Fox	Andrew Scott

Berlin[edit]

Statue	Location	Author	Actor(s)
kathe-kollwitz	Berlin	David Peter Fox	Gabriel Byrne
Marx-Engels	Berlin	David Peter Fox	Brendan O'Carroll
Moltke-Denkmal	Berlin	David Peter Fox	Stephen Rea
Luther-Denkmal	Berlin	David Peter Fox	Ruth Negga
Heinrich Zille	Berlin	David Peter Fox	Brendan Gleeson
Der Rufer	Berlin	David Peter Fox	Andrew Scott
Lise Meitner Denkmal	Berlin	David Peter Fox	Brendan Gleeson
Bertolf Brecht	Berlin	David Peter Fox	Brendan Gleeson
Hauptmann von Köpenick	Berlin	David Peter Fox	Andrew Scott
The Lion Fighter	Berlin	David Peter Fox	Andrew Scott