Artist Research "For The Love Of God" Damien Hirst

 "For The Love Of God" 2007 Damien Hirst

A platinum cast of an 18th centaury skull, encrusted with 8601 diamonds and real human teeth.

A work by Damien Hirst in 2007. It cost 12 million pounds to make and was exhibited with an asking price of 50 million. The work is a memento mori, the tittle inspired by his mother when she asked him "For the love of God what are you going to make next?"

Art historian Rudi Fuchs described it as" out of this world" and "a victory over decay" but also a "reminder of relentless death"

Its pure bling and a pretty vulgar display of wealth but I suppose that's the point. Death cant be solved by money, in relation to my church project, historically a lot of wealthy people would buy a place n the church and decorate it , a display of wealth in the name of the glory of god.

the interior of a church is bling and fear and foreboding.

I'm interested in Hirst's work for the way he often uses real remains to create his works and transforms them to deliver a message. 

A lot of my project is around tracing from remains of the church yard/ grave stones, taking from the original and changing/ highlighting certain things to create my message. also in a more literal sense, this weekend my son and I found some tiny bird bones and in the language of my project I plan to guild them, to change them as I feel its going to fit in perfectly with what I'm trying to create.