Thursday
Jun072007
Damien Hirst: For the Love of Wow
Thursday 7 June, 2007
Relentless pontificating Kirsty Wark talks to Damien Hirst
I was going to quote this, but the BBC no longer bothers with transcripts, preferring deathly slow-loading abhorrent archive video where everyone looks like they've come straight from the video for Money For Nothing.
There's a moment in this Newsnight Review (recently voted the show most likely to turn you into a steamed ham) interview where, to paraphrase, Hirst says something along the lines of 'maybe "wow" is enough, I think that's one of the best reactions you can have to a piece of art'. Or somesuch like that, only in his elegant cheeky chappie soundbitealover way. For the Love of God is a vanitas work that seems to go for broke with the whole "wow" thing: it's expensive, it's shiny, it's a skull and it's by Damien Hirst.
So, the question is, regardless of what you think of his work, do you reckon "wow" is enough? Can you start with "wow" and work your way to something else? Does "wow" come from that something else you've been working from? Is provoking a visceral reaction enough for poetry, or is its remit an entirely diffident kettle of diamond-encrusted skulls? I'm on the fence with this one, help me out peeps.
- Alex
I was going to quote this, but the BBC no longer bothers with transcripts, preferring deathly slow-loading abhorrent archive video where everyone looks like they've come straight from the video for Money For Nothing.
There's a moment in this Newsnight Review (recently voted the show most likely to turn you into a steamed ham) interview where, to paraphrase, Hirst says something along the lines of 'maybe "wow" is enough, I think that's one of the best reactions you can have to a piece of art'. Or somesuch like that, only in his elegant cheeky chappie soundbitealover way. For the Love of God is a vanitas work that seems to go for broke with the whole "wow" thing: it's expensive, it's shiny, it's a skull and it's by Damien Hirst.
So, the question is, regardless of what you think of his work, do you reckon "wow" is enough? Can you start with "wow" and work your way to something else? Does "wow" come from that something else you've been working from? Is provoking a visceral reaction enough for poetry, or is its remit an entirely diffident kettle of diamond-encrusted skulls? I'm on the fence with this one, help me out peeps.
- Alex
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