OF BUTTERFLIES AND BIKES
And then the controversy about the Damien Hirst bike is raging on - I didn’t know that it was decorated with real butterfly wings; from the Mail Online:
Damien Hirst accused of 'horrific barbarity' over bicycle covered in dead butterfly wings
Pickled shark artist Damien Hirst has come under fire for plastering a bicycle with hundred of dead butterflies in his latest creation. Hirst, who first made his name in 1992 by suspending a shark in formaldehyde, was today accused of 'horrific barbarity' over the bike.
Champion cyclist Lance Armstrong - a testicular cancer survivor - will ride the butterfly bicycle on Sunday in the last leg of the Tour de France in Paris. But animal rights campaigners today said the use of dead butterflies 'ruined the very essence of this man's spirit'.
Hirst's assistants removed the wings of several species of butterfly - believed to include the Blue Morpho and the yellow-and-black Buttercup - and glued them to the bike. The artist's company would not say where the insects came from. He has had them bred specially for previous projects - including a stained-glass-style window made from butterfly wings.
This is barbaric and horrific,' said Sam Glover of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta). 'Lance Armstrong is all about life - about not dying and about overcoming adversity.
'Damien Hirst is a one-trick pony who ruins the very essence of this man's spirit by associating him with dead butterflies.
'Butterflies are beautiful creatures who should be enjoyed in the wild, not encased in a bike.'
After the race, the bicycle goes on display at galleries in Paris and New York before being auctioned in October to raise as much as £1million for Armstrong's cancer charity, Livestrong.
Hirst said he had been approached by U2 singer Bono to make the bicycle, and chose to use real butterflies because of the way their iridescent wings catch the light. 'The technical problems were immense, as I wanted to use real butterflies and not just pictures of butterflies, because I wanted it to shimmer when the light catches it like only real butterflies do, and we were trying not to add any extra weight to the bike. Armstrong 'loves it', the artist added.
'Lance is an inspiration to many people on many levels,' he said. 'Bono first approached me about the bike and described Lance to me as "the greatest sportsman the world has ever known after Ali".
'It was a great opportunity to work with someone I admire and create the bike - something I've never done before.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1201914/Damien-Hirst-accused-horrific-barbarity-bicycle-covered-dead-butterfly-wings.html#ixzz0MTBxjBRt
A storm in a teacup? The jury is out on this for me. I think I kill more flying insects inadvertently driving my car down the city streets in a week. “Horrific Barbarity”? That’s a bit over the top but I need to be careful otherwise the PETA fanatics might hunt me down and cut off my fingers with a sharp knife for accusing them of being overly dramatic.
Also on a sporting note.
Please spare a thought and pray for poor Felipe Massa, the Formula One Ferrari driver who was badly injured in a freak accident in practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday. I don’t think he’ll race again this year and the latest reports indicate that he might have suffered some damage to his left eye which might end his racing career.
Forza Felipe - You are in our thoughts.
Damien Hirst accused of 'horrific barbarity' over bicycle covered in dead butterfly wings
Pickled shark artist Damien Hirst has come under fire for plastering a bicycle with hundred of dead butterflies in his latest creation. Hirst, who first made his name in 1992 by suspending a shark in formaldehyde, was today accused of 'horrific barbarity' over the bike.
Champion cyclist Lance Armstrong - a testicular cancer survivor - will ride the butterfly bicycle on Sunday in the last leg of the Tour de France in Paris. But animal rights campaigners today said the use of dead butterflies 'ruined the very essence of this man's spirit'.
Hirst's assistants removed the wings of several species of butterfly - believed to include the Blue Morpho and the yellow-and-black Buttercup - and glued them to the bike. The artist's company would not say where the insects came from. He has had them bred specially for previous projects - including a stained-glass-style window made from butterfly wings.
This is barbaric and horrific,' said Sam Glover of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta). 'Lance Armstrong is all about life - about not dying and about overcoming adversity.
'Damien Hirst is a one-trick pony who ruins the very essence of this man's spirit by associating him with dead butterflies.
'Butterflies are beautiful creatures who should be enjoyed in the wild, not encased in a bike.'
After the race, the bicycle goes on display at galleries in Paris and New York before being auctioned in October to raise as much as £1million for Armstrong's cancer charity, Livestrong.
Hirst said he had been approached by U2 singer Bono to make the bicycle, and chose to use real butterflies because of the way their iridescent wings catch the light. 'The technical problems were immense, as I wanted to use real butterflies and not just pictures of butterflies, because I wanted it to shimmer when the light catches it like only real butterflies do, and we were trying not to add any extra weight to the bike. Armstrong 'loves it', the artist added.
'Lance is an inspiration to many people on many levels,' he said. 'Bono first approached me about the bike and described Lance to me as "the greatest sportsman the world has ever known after Ali".
'It was a great opportunity to work with someone I admire and create the bike - something I've never done before.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1201914/Damien-Hirst-accused-horrific-barbarity-bicycle-covered-dead-butterfly-wings.html#ixzz0MTBxjBRt
A storm in a teacup? The jury is out on this for me. I think I kill more flying insects inadvertently driving my car down the city streets in a week. “Horrific Barbarity”? That’s a bit over the top but I need to be careful otherwise the PETA fanatics might hunt me down and cut off my fingers with a sharp knife for accusing them of being overly dramatic.
Also on a sporting note.
Please spare a thought and pray for poor Felipe Massa, the Formula One Ferrari driver who was badly injured in a freak accident in practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday. I don’t think he’ll race again this year and the latest reports indicate that he might have suffered some damage to his left eye which might end his racing career.
Forza Felipe - You are in our thoughts.