Sleeping Beauty?

From the BBC News website:

A sculpture of a dead Prince Harry in military uniform is going on show at a London hotel, intended to honour those willing but unable to serve in Iraq.
It shows the prince lying with his head on a Bible and a vulture at his feet.

Artist Daniel Edwards said it shows the prince's spirit "must have died the day they told him he couldn't serve".

I must admit I find this fairly distasteful. Before anybody jumps all over me (and not in a good way) I am not saying I want it banned, broken or burned...Just that I consider it to be in very, very, poor taste.

.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7030133.stm

I'd be interested to hear what others think of this, and in particular I'd quite like to hear what any serving or ex-soldiers think.

Speaking as a foreigner, I find it really inappropriate. I completely understand both why he's not allowed to serve, and that he probably would gladly rush first into danger, but to imply that he has died when others have actually done so is trivializing.

*nods* that's pretty much what the Royal British Legion thought of it (I'm a non-serving member of the Legion).

I think it generally there are probably few (if any--I can't think of any offhand) situations where portraying a living person as being dead would be considered tasteful. So I will vote for poor taste. Clod is right--it's particularly insulting to the families of soldiers killed in action. (Not a vet but my nephew just went over for his second tour in Iraq.)

In my mind a statue of someone dead celebrates only their death. To be respectful and pay tribute I think the person needs to be shown in their finest hour.

Then again, he was the artist who did the autopsy statue of Paris Hilton. Methinks he has a yen for cold, cold flesh...

he's supposed to be a "controversial" artist, so evidently he's one of those art people who deliberately sets out to shock and provoke, to make people think.

I think he succeeded in this.

Has the royal family themselves offered a reaction yet?

Sundae Girl;392549 wrote:

In my mind a statue of someone dead celebrates only their death. To be respectful and pay tribute I think the person needs to be shown in their finest hour.

Then again, he was the artist who did the autopsy statue of Paris Hilton. Methinks he has a yen for cold, cold flesh...

Paris Hilton's autopsy might well BE her finest hour

ZenGum;392556 wrote:

Paris Hilton's autopsy might well BE her finest hour

And many of us are counting the minutes....

Has Prince Harry made a public statement about this statue?

Not that I could find. he's been busy dealing with the Paparrazzi. They've been following him and his girlfriend and chasing them on motorbikes and in cars. Given the manner in which his mother died, he's been understandably upset by this and has been making statements in the press about that.

Pssst - isn't that Prince William...?

Sorry, yes it is. My mistake.

My perspective as a very much NON artist. (I am less that artistically inclined.)

As with most contemporary "art" I find it absurd both that anyone finds it worth complaining about and that it was even created in the first place. Also, as with most "art" it appears to have been created merely for reaction, which, I suppose IS the reason for art in the first place. Though most recent "art" I've heard/seen/read about seems to be created solely to be controversial in some way, as though that is somehow going to get the artist future commissions or something.

We use to call it "shock art." I usually find it mildly entertaining for about 3.5 minutes.

I call that sort of thing "I used to be disgusting, but now I just amuse.":cool:

People take art too seriously. I can never see getting offended by it.

I don't think people would be offended by it if it hadn't been described as a monument to those who have died in Iraq.

Maybe a tribute to those who metaphorically died in Iraq.

If someone made a statue to all the great pedophiles of history I would not be offended by it... taking something someone else has made personally is just not logical.