Hirst 'sorry' for rotting remains



"There was a big lump of something that looked like a cow"
Damien Hirst is to apologise after rotting animal remains were left
outside his studio in Chalford over the Bank Holiday Weekend.
The parts - thought to be from a cow - were supposed to have been picked
up on Friday 28 May but were not removed until Tuesday 1 June.

A spokeswoman for the artist said: "He will be apologising. It shouldn't
have happened but it's now been dealt with." She blamed a "mix-up in
communications" for the late removal of the remains.

'Absolutely vile'

Trading Standards officers from Gloucestershire County Council were
called in to investigate after people living close to the artist's
studios on the Chalford Industrial Estate reported a bad smell.

"On Sunday the stench was so bad we couldn't open any of the windows and
I decided I had to do something about it," said Charles Eagles.

"As I walked towards the box the smell just got stronger and there were
loads of flies.

"When I opened up the lid it was revolting - it was like something out
of a horror film. There was a big lump of something that looked like a
cow. It was absolutely vile."

A spokesman for Gloucestershire County Council said: "Trading standards
officers removed the remains and took them to approved premises for
incineration on Tuesday.

"Investigations are ongoing to see if any breach of regulations was
made."

Damien Hirst, a Turner Prize winner is widely known for displaying dead
animals in tanks of formaldehyde.


Hirst says sorry about dead cow
04 June 2004

22828&section=news

LONDON: Artist Damien Hirst, who uses dead animals in his work, has
promised to apologise after a rotting cow was left outside his studio
over a long holiday weekend.

Inspectors visited the studio in Gloucestershire over the weekend and
took the putrid remains of an animal away to incinerate them, after
neighbours complained about the horrible smell.

A spokeswoman at Hirst's studio confirmed that the remains were those of
a dead cow.

"It was at the rear of the studio in a plastic-contained bin," she said.


"It's a communication mix-up between the contractor who was collecting
it and a member of staff. So it was left over the bank holiday weekend,
which was very unfortunate."

She said Hirst planned to apologise for leaving the dead animal out. She
would not say what the artist had used it for.

The artist won the Turner Prize in 1995 for Mother and Child, Divided,
which featured an adult cow and a baby calf, each split in half, pickled
in formaldehyde and displayed in glass tanks.

Local authorities in Gloucestershire said they were investigating to see
whether any regulations were broken when the animal was left in the
street.

The sun tries to eat my skin. I'm changing colors. It hurts. It's about time to go water flowers. I slept a dead sleep for a long time.
On Saturday y'all should come out to Soyeon's for our 23/33 birthday BBQ.

Does anyone want to go to the Beach tomorrow with Keith and me and some friends?

This organization that I'm working for (plant watering) Forever Elmwood , has a lot to do with the greatness of Elmwood Avenue. At least that's what they say and I believe it because they've been at it for ten years. They are a community organization that works with the business owners and residents to keep the street feeling and looking good. Bob, my boss, told me that Elmwood Forever is the reason talking leaves book store came to Elmwood. He said that before the talking leaves store was there some gross bar was there and people would always leave it to go piss in the park.
I've only lived in buffalo a little while so I have no idea what Elmwood was like 10 years ago or even two years ago. Maybe some of you buffalonians can give some validity to this story. Bob also told me that the state assembler for this district lives right across from Paul, Matt, and Terry.
Sorry I never made it out last night. I think that the pride celebration must have tired me out more than I realized because when I got home I slept for 13 hours and now it's about time for me to go water the flowers!
y'all should all become members of forever elmwood if you're into the cause. I think it cost anywhere from 30 to 100 bucks!

I'm a little obsessed with this Ben Hoff book but I promise this is the last excerpt I'll post. I just feel like this excerpt is especially relevant to the events which have ensued since 9/11. Oddly enough this book was published in 1992.

The Te of Piglet

Things As They Are

The overwhelming tendency in unobservant industrial society, however, is to ignore small problems until they become enormousand then panic.
"Call out the troops! Mad Tyrant Number Twelve is taking over the world! We've got to stop him-even if we have to kill half a million people doing it! Oh, it's simply awful Well, let's see. . .
Who sold him his weaponry ? We did. Who trained his military forces in the use of it? We did. Who supplied the materials he wanted? We did. Who supported his vicious dictatorship for years because he persecuted our "enemies"? We did. And who ignored his unstable personality, his destruction of anyone who opposed him, and his repeated threats against world order for all that time ? We did. So there you are.