Living statues take their place on Antony Gormley's fourth plinth

Before the first participant could take her place on the plinth, protester Stuart Holmes scaled the monument to wave an anti-smoking placard Photograph: John Stillwell/PA

Antony Gormley and London mayor Boris Johnson eye Holmes as he stands on the plinth Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Gormley's first living statue – Rachel Wardell, a 35-year-old housewife – takes her place on the monument. After Holmes's gatecrashing, she was technically the second person on the plinth Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Wardell's plan was to raise awareness for the NSPCC Photograph: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

A birdseye view of Trafalgar Square as Rachel Wardell spends her hour on the plinth Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Jason Clark, a 41-year-old nurse from Brighton, is the second of 2,400 people to take his place on the plinth Photograph: John Stillwell/PA

Jason Clark, the second participant in One and Other, the new art installation by Antony Gormley Photograph: David Levene

Jill Gatcum, a 51-year-old IT consultant, is third in line at 11am. She releases one balloon for every minute she is on the plinth Photograph: David Levene

Jill Gatcum stands on the fourth plinth in London's Trafalgar Square Photograph: David Levene

Artist Christine Sharman sketches as she stands on the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Antony Gormley looks up at his art installation on the fourth plinth in London's Trafalgar Square Photograph: David Levene

Scott Illman replaces Christine Sharman on the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square Photograph: Graeme Robertson

Bar owner Scott Illman stands on the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square in London Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

... and he takes a rest a short while later Photograph: Graeme Robertson

The town crier is replaced by Steve Platt, who holds aloft a blackboard with 'I was going to spend my hour on the plinth as the sniper shop shot Nelson but they don't sell muskets at Lidl's' scrawled across the front Photograph: Graeme Robertson

Platt confirms he's not, in fact, a pigeon Photograph: Graeme Robertson

Fine art graduate Suren Seneviratne displays his mobile phone number to the public while taking his turn on the fourth plinth Photograph: Graeme Robertson

Rupert Meese, 42, from Derby arrived atop the plinth at 4pm Photograph: Graeme Robertson

Victor Martinezk, a TV director from London, took the teatime slot at 5pm and said his hour represented 'the modern, multi-cultural face of the UK' Photograph: Graeme Robertson

At 6pm, Ishvinder Singh Matharu from Chigwell, was undecided about what he was going to do on the plinth but was convinced Gormley's work presented 'a brilliant opportunity for the general public to be involved in art' Photograph: Graeme Robertson

Artist Grayson Perry turned up in Trafalgar Square in time to see Monique Speksnyder, 45, from Corbridge, Northumberland, dance her way through her hour Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Mark Korczak, 47, from Leicester, dedicated his hour to promoting sustainable travel Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Stephen Roser, a university lecturer from Bristol, arrived at 9pm and doled out chocolates to the crowd below Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

At 10pm, 20-year-old student Mike Longman decided to make art on art with his own sculpture on the fourth plinth Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Andrew Deathe, a gallery owner from Swansea, took the final hour of the day and stood almost statue-still throughout, accompanied by a small Welsh flag Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA