Damien Hirst Plans to Build a Town Called "Hirst-on-Sea"

Would you live in Hirstville?

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Complex Original

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Damien Hirst's newest scheme doesn't involve dead butterflies or painted polka dots but, it's just as ridiculous. For the British artist's newest project, he plans to build an entire town from the ground up—just because he can.

"Hirst-on-Sea," as the town has been awkwardly dubbed, will sit in North Devon near Ilfracombe, England. With 750 homes, a school, a medical center, cycling paths, and sports fields, the town is meant to house 3,000 residents.

The people of neighboring Ilfracombe are less than pleased with what they see as further "Damien domination." The British artist made some enemies when he installed a "monstrosity of a statue" of a pregnant woman in Ilfracombe in October.

Hirst is waiting for approval from the North Devon council. He currently owns half the land of the site, and the council seems to be on his side. 

While Hirst is still waiting for the green light, in the meantime he's suffering from some bad luck. Early Monday morning, two Hirst polka dot pieces, each worth £33,000, were stolen from the Exhibitionist Gallery in Notting Hill, London.

[via Evening Standard / The Guardian]

UPDATE JULY 31, 2014 12:20 ET: According to local press reports, Hirst has received approval to build his town from the North Devon council. The project, which is known as the Southern Extension, may revitalize the area and potentially bring in Hirst-loving tourists, but that doesn't mean everyone is on board. "Several members of the public spoke at the meeting, some saying the scheme was too big for the town and would put a huge strain on its roads and services," reports the North Devon Gazette.

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