In a film packed with great costume and set design (Leia’s buns! The AT-ATs! Tauntaun guts!), the Stormtroopers’ glistening white exoskeletons are among the most memorable details from Star Wars. Which is what makes Art Wars a lot of fun: As part of a show at London mega-gallery Saatchi, 19 artists were given a trooper helmet and told to go wild.
The helmets — which are being auctioned off later this month — are part of a fundraiser for Missing Tom, an organisation dedicated to finding a long-missing brother of founder Ben Moore. To get the project off the ground, Moore collaborated with an industrial named Andrew Ainsworth — who was responsible for fabricating the original Stormtrooper suits produced for A New Hope and the subsequent films.
Moore and Ainsworth gave out helmets to a group of 19 artists and asked them to come back with an original piece. Some are more interesting than others: Damien Hirst’s contribution is bland to the point of humour, while Jake and Dinos Chapman sculpted white bubbles of plastic onto theirs. Check ’em all out below — or check out Art Wars at Saatchi Gallery until October 13. [Saatchi Gallery; Co.Design]
Damien Hirst:
Ben Moore:
Inkie:
Antony Micallef:
Bran Symondson:
D*Face:
Jake and Dinos Chapman:
Mr. Brainwash:
David Bailey:
Andrew Ainsworth:
Joana Vasconcelos:
Jason Brooks: