Damien Hirst - British Seaside Town Gets New Damien Hirst Art Installation

British Seaside Town Gets New Damien Hirst Art Installation

Art eh. There you are, enjoying the lovely view from the bedroom window of your house, it looking out into a wonderful picturesque seaside town; perhaps you can even see the sea. Then, one day you wake up, and someone's put up a ruddy great 65 foot 20-ton statue of a pregnant woman up in the way. In 2012 that's art my friend and it's coming right to a door step near you.

At least that's what's happened to the residents of Ilfracombe in Devon, who've found themselves the new hosts of artist Damien Hirst's piece Verity. A cross-section of her is ripped open to reveal muscular structure and a foetus. Harbour master for the town Rob Lawson, who was involved in early discussions about getting the statue to be put up, told Sky News: "I think it's awe-inspiring. On one side you've got a beautiful, calm and emotional depiction of pending motherhood and on the other side you've got the rather more controversial and intricate picture of the human body."

Others are less than happy, though. Joel Cooper, chief reporter at the North Devon Journal, said: "I think you either love it or hate it. Certainly, we've had hundreds and hundreds of letters come into the newspaper to say they're absolutely appalled by it ... or they think it's a fantastic opportunity to move Ilfracombe - and North Devon generally - into the 21st century. Personally, as a resident who lives in Ilfracombe, it's not my favourite piece of art work."