Oz artist requests for cremated remains for use in mortality sculptures

MELBOURNE - An artist from Queensland has urged relatives of dead people to give their cremated remains for creating sculptures about mortality.

Artist Peter Booth put an ad in newspaper classifieds looking for cremated remains for an artwork that he plans to showcase in September 2010 in a Fortitude Valley art gallery.

Booth has refused to reveal details about the sculpture but he said that it would be made of resin and deal with issues of mortality.

He said that its construction - mixing the ashes with resin - and that the person who supplied the cremated remains won’t get them back as the sculpture might be sold.

Booth said he would not try to convince relatives to hand over the ashes.

“I don’t believe in controversial art for the sake of it. I’m not trying to make controversial art - I’m trying to make interesting art. It’s absolutely aboutmortality,” The Courier Mail quoted Booth said.

“If you make the object of cremation ashes, does that give the object more significance or is it still just ashes? My philosophy with art is to choose the material that the work is most related to,” he added.

It would be the first time he would work with parts of the human body.

“I need somebody who is prepared to give some ashes. I will either keep the work or somebody will buy the work,” Booth said.

“Once it’s cast, it’s cast. It’s not something I can give back,” he added. (ANI)