damien hirst's verity sculpture erected

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damien hirst's verity sculpture erected
damien hirst's verity sculpture erected
38

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'verity statue' by damien hirst erected in ilfracombe, UK


damien hirst's 66 ft bronze sculpture 'verity' has been erected at the seaside town of ilfracombe, UK.
the statue depicts a naked pregnant woman with half of her body exposing ligaments and viscera while holding aloft a sword and
standing on a base of legal books. the piece - with 'verity' meaning 'truth' in italian - represents a 'modern allegory of truth and justice'
and references hirst's earlier bronze artwork 'virgin mother' from 2005.

'verity' was made in over forty individual castings with sand moulds at pangolin editions foundry in gloucestershire.
the frame was made in a single piece of stainless steel. the sword and upper arm is a single piece of glass fibre reinforced polymer
and the entire piece underwent significant windtunnel testing in order to ensure it was capable of withstanding the forces
of high winds and sea spray.

the figure, to be on loan to the town for 20 years, has caused a controversial stir amongst a number of locals who sent in hundreds
of letters of objection or of support, however the north devon council approved of its construction earlier in the year which
designboom covered here.



the piece - with 'verity' meaning 'truth' in italian - represents a 'modern allegory of truth and justice'
photos © steve russell
image courtesy damien hirst and science ltd.




the figure, to be on loan to the town for 20 years, has caused a controversial stir amongst a number of locals
photo © steve russell
image courtesy damien hirst and science ltd.




the 66 ft bronze sculpture being hoisted into place
photo © steve russell
image courtesy damien hirst and science ltd.




the piece references hirst's earlier work from 2005
photos © steve russell
image courtesy damien hirst and science ltd.




photo © steve russell
image courtesy damien hirst and science ltd.




the casting model of the sculpture's right hand is sanded down
photo © steve russell
image courtesy damien hirst and science ltd.




each panel is individually metal worked in preparation for assembly
photo © steve russell
image courtesy damien hirst and science ltd.

(14 articles)
38
  • sh*t

    max says:
  • poor town!!!

    mia says:
  • Damien Hirst is the only person who could sell road-kill for money!

    Jimbo_Jet says:
  • In the spirit of damien bold, confronting and controversial.

    Vadun says:
  • So great!!

    Gyaz says:
  • what\’s a \”worst piece ever\” award!
    please, designboom, do some selection before publish!

    nemo says:
  • I appreciate Damien Hirst is a controversial artist, all the more reason for designboom to publish it!
    Just because it isn’t to everyone’s taste, freedom of expression etc, surely that’s fundamentally what design is all about, wake up people….

    Ewan says:
  • Intense! Justice, Sacrifice, Amazon Woman, and Blessed Mother; all in one.

    ktwk says:
  • love the controversy – nice to see so many people reacting to a piece of sculpture that is actually rather traditional

    dbkii says:
  • Nothing wrong with pregnant naked exposed woman with a sword to boot standing her ground for truth. Bravo!

    NelsonReyesArchitect says:
  • kudos…… most people just want comfortable art
    art which is thought provoking
    which causes people to think about things or their value system
    is rarely shown
    so I say, good for the individuals who had the courage to place this piece
    thank you for showing it

    Paedra says:
  • new womenization extralarge and deconstructed

    Nobby says:
  • I cannot tell if I like it..

    Bern says:
  • love the way that something which is actually a rather conventional piece of sculpture can still generate such controversy

    dbkii says:
  • You might not be so chipper if it was outside YOUR bedroom window.

    chippy the chippy squirrel says:
  • Powerful. Powerful work. One can ponder what it makes you feel for a long time.

    Mike Jackson says:
  • I\’m sad that people can\’t see the beauty in this piece of art, and it IS a breathtaking piece of art. The engineering ALONE makes it spectacular. This a tribute to women, and the people of Ilfracombe should be proud. \”Good art is art that allows you to enter it from a variety of angles and to emerge with a variety of views\” —Mary Schmich

    girl outlaw says:
  • It is spectacular and quite traditional on many levels! I wish it was in my town!

    tod says:
  • I like the fact it says the truth about pregnancy: a person, not a clump of cells as many say.

    Teo says:
  • Get a life!

    JB says:
  • i think it s fantastic

    beanstork says:
  • Really Cool. Also, this magazine has a lot of angry readers – I think a sure cure for that is to get out of your mother’s basement and build something.

    Ilya Bourim says:
  • It\’s Damien Hirst\’s ugliest piece of work. Dreadful. What\’s original about this… maybe it\’s size???

    desperado says:
  • Absolutely stunning piece of sculpture !

    I would have thought more appropriate for a modern city rather than a seaside town !

    Johnnie Autard says:
  • I really hope people will push it into the water.

    Alex Zhulin says:
  • Don\’t personally like it, but Ilfracombe needs all the help it can get. Anything that helps tired old Biritsh seaside resort attract new tourist adn with it money can only be a good thing. Add this statue to Hirst\’s restaurant in the town already, No11 The Quay, and the 50 eco-homes he\’s planning to build in the town, this is very much becoming Hirst\’s town. Margate has Tracey Emin championing its cause so why shouldn\’t a ridiculously wealthy contemporary artist pick Ilfracombe to be his play thing.

    dextersdragon says:
  • so this is what you make when you have more money than God. did he buy the town as well…on the flip side,i work at a bronze foundry in america and we would love to take some of mr. hirst’s money. remind ‘s me of old judas priest album covers. rob halford is probably so flattered.

    joejoeherbick says:
  • ILIKEITILIKEITILIKEIT

    moderndesign2120 says:
  • The more I look at it – the more I appreciate it. Wouldn\’t visit this town for any other reason but to see it.
    Would be awesome if this installation could travel.

    I think I like this one more than any of Damiens previous work.
    It is pretty hardcore for the faint hearted – all of Damiens work is.

    If it was outside my bedroom window and I had to look at it everyday… I might have to take a picture of it everyday.

    Ugo Del Corso says:
  • Ew. Is this really what we are leaving behind for the future to remember us by?

    me says:
  • what is she holding in her right arm? is she injecting hormones into her buttcheeks? That would add some ‘meaning’

    http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2011/01/24/angel-of-the-north-turned-into-batman/

    Mark Jan Meerdink says:
  • actually, I wouldn’t mind this outsdie my bedroom window one bit

    so many small minded comments!

    dbkii says:
  • What a retarded mind in Art Vision,This man can not find any idea, _—- One of the worst sculptures in G:B: and rest of the world…Mickey Mouse is the top-Artfor you…

    Pluto 455 says:
  • Most people haven\’t even looked up the background to this piece of art before fixing their shallow opinions. Its almost like the predictability of a tabloid press reaction.

    blaablaa says:
  • Funny that she should appear to be marching on Ireland (across from Ilfracombe) with sword drawn and proud bosom in the wind…

    On a technical note : is the arm completely made out of polymer resin ? Wouldn’t the body and the arm therefore age in very different ways ? Does resin even have a patina ?
    Could anyone remedy to my ignorance ?

    romain says:
  • I like it!

    Leeya says:
  • loved it ,absolutely amazing. bit of a strange place to put it.

    jill says:
  • Just been to Ilfracomb and loved it. Looks amazing in that setting – awesome.

    Deb B. says:

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(14 articles)

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damien hirst: verity sculpture
the 66 ft bronze figure has been erected at the seaside town of ilfracombe, UK.
damien hirst statue: angel of the west
damien hirst has proposed that his new, 20-meter bronze sculpture 'verity' be installed along the coast (read more)

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