Darth Vader figurine appears on former Edward Colston plinth

By Robin Connolly, Co-Editor-in-Chief

A Darth Vader figure has appeared on top of the plinth which once supported a statue of the 17^th Century slave trader, Edward Colston.

The figurine is believed to be a tribute to the Bristolian actor, David Prowse, who died on Sunday at the age of 85 and was most famous for playing the character of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy.

So far, there has been no light shed on who is responsible for the arrival of the Darth Vader statuette, although it has been suggested that it was positioned on the plinth during the night.

Since the fall of the Edward Colston statue in June this year, there has been a history of spontaneous art instalments on and around the plinth, including a figure of Jen Reid, a Black Lives Matter protestor, and one of a mystery man in a dustbin.

Up until today, all sculptures erected in this area have been hastily removed.

Mystery statue erected by Edward Colston plinth in city centre

Statue of Black Lives Matter protester erected on Colston plinth

So far, no plan has been made to officially replace the statue of Colston, although an augmented reality project by the People's Platform has been set up to invite ideas from the public.

Featured: Robin Connolly

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