Bikes: Damian Hirst's latest atrocity

[Jiffy]

As above, sickening.

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/stages/hirst/

[*live*&*let*live]

So they look pretty and 'catch the light like real butterflies do'
nasty callous idiot, but same goes to Trek for comissioning it! :mad:

[fiamma]

And to Lance Armstrong for riding it :mad:

I feel quite sick now. What a bunch of w@nk€rz :mad::mad::mad:

ETA: I'm writing an angry email as we speak - I'll post it when it's done :devil:

[RebeccaDye]

Modified rapture! How can this even be called art?

[*live*&*let*live]

And to Lance Armstrong for riding it :mad:

I feel quite sick now. What a bunch of w@nk€rz :mad::mad::mad:

ETA: I'm writing an angry email as we speak - I'll post it when it's done :devil:

Shit must have missed that bit! :eek:

[fiamma]

This is what I have written and sent, and hope some of you will do the same :thumbsup:

Dear Trek,

I am writing to express my disgust and dismay at the Trek Madone bike designed by Damien Hirst for Lance Armstrong; I find it appalling that in this day and age, with all the materials we have to hand, that Damien Hirst should feel the need to kill living things in order to create his artwork.
I applaud your support of an incredible sportsman such as Lance Armstrong, who has fought so many battles and shown amazing strength in the face of the most incredible odds; indeed it is this very fact that perplexes me at your involvement in this so-called art; you claim you are “committed to changing lives through cycling”, therefore I am very surprised that a company promoting health and life - as you do - should choose to spearhead a project involving the senseless killing and death of beautiful living things.
I shall certainly be letting all those close to me know of this cruel "art" you have chosen to promote, and will certainly be avoiding your products in future, as well as urging my friends and relatives to do the same.

Yours sincerely,

etc. etc.

[*live*&*let*live]

Nice one Fi I will email 'em too. :thumbsup:

[matt35mm]

I don't understand whether the butterflies were already dead or whether they were killed for this.

[Jiffy]

I don't understand whether the butterflies were already dead or whether they were killed for this.

Well, unless there's some butterfly retirement home somewhere that specialises is exotic, colourful species and he has waited patiently for them to shuffle off this mortal coil......I think we can draw our own conclusions. :hmm:

[fiamma]

I don't think the question of whether they were alive or dead is relevant here... I simply refuse to believe that with all the materials and all the technology we have available, that no-one in the whole wide world could make Damien Hirst the synthetic butterflies he would have needed.

But that's not what Hirst wants - this is just another sick example of what he chooses to consider and foist on us as "art". And it completely blows my mind to think that a respected bicycle manufacturing company, one that promotes health and life, would even choose to be associated with something like this... I just can't get my head around it.

Have you read the list of Hirst's "works" on Wikipedia? (Warning: may be upsetting for some). Just looking at the man's picture on the page is a little unsettling...

I have to say this news has astounded me more than any I've read in a long time.

[Jiffy]

This was being discussed on the LBC phone -in just now. They had someone from PETA commenting, very articulately I have to say.

[snaffler]

This saddens me as a long time user of TREK bikes as well, I am going to write them a strongly worded letter. What a stupid idiotic stunt to allow an asshole like Demented Hirst do a so called art work for your company.

[Jiffy]

Is 'idiotic stunt' rhyming slang? ;)

[fiamma]

^ LoL :D :D :D :lol:

[Jiffy]

Modified rapture! How can this even be called art?

Maybe Mr Armstrong will have some unscheduled top tube interaction and have a 'modified rupture'. ;)

[*live*&*let*live]

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.


'Barbaric': The bicycle decorated with dead butterflies by Damien Hirst, which will be ridden by Lance Armstrong at the Tour de France finale

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.







Cycle of life and death: Damien Hirst says he is proud to have created the bike for Lance Armstrong, right


'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.
The bike is one of six designed by different artists that Armstrong has ridden in this year's tour.
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#ixzz0MEd6v2Rt


Please see bold print text that I have outlined. I think this will clear up any doubt that anyone has with regards to where these beautiful insects came from. NO COMMENT - speaks volumes.....:sad:

[xrodolfox]

I am incredibly appalled. I ride a Trek when I race, and I'm certainly going to look elsewhere for my next bike after this. I will let Trek know they've lost a paying, riding customer.

[Jiffy]

It's also woth remembering that the bike will be auctioned to fund animal experiments, something else that they keep schtum about.

[Johnstuff]

Maybe Mr Armstrong will have some unscheduled top tube interaction and have a 'modified rupture'. ;)


:D

That bike is quite disturbing, they could have just painted butterflies!

[Honest_Goodbye]

Horrible :(

[*live*&*let*live]

I am incredibly appalled. I ride a Trek when I race, and I'm certainly going to look elsewhere for my next bike after this. I will let Trek know they've lost a paying, riding customer.

Saw your pic xrod and I was going to pm you about this thread. Good to know you saw it for yourself! :smile:


It's also woth remembering that the bike will be auctioned to fund animal experiments, something else that they keep schtum about.

Really? OMG, how do you know that? :mad:


:D

That bike is quite disturbing, they could have just painted butterflies!

Oh, but they didn't want that, they wanted the beauty of the real butterfly......(sarcasm not aimed at you but Trek/Damien) :mad:

[Enchantress]

I assume Jiffy was referring to the fact that LiveStrong (Lance Armstrong's charity) fund animal testing.

http://hugoschwyzer.net/2007/05/15/live-strong-day/

[*live*&*let*live]

Oh right yeah, know that bit, thought it was a Trek thing! :surprised_ani:

[Jiffy]

I assume Jiffy was referring to the fact that LiveStrong (Lance Armstrong's charity) fund animal testing.

http://hugoschwyzer.net/2007/05/15/live-strong-day/

Indeedy, though according to them they have 'only' commisioned experiments on mice.....that's OK then :rolleyes:

[fiamma]

I got this superficial brush-off in reply to my email:

Hey Fiona,

Thanks for the email. I can't be for certain but I don't think any
animals were damaged in the production of the Hirst bike, sorry if you
are offended. Thanks and have a great day.

Ride on,

Eric Keen

:mad: Don't know whether to laugh or cry... :down: