'Death counter' exhibit unveiled

1 January 2009 12:03am

A giant LED counter which will show the number of people who die around the world this year has been unveiled in London.

The work, called Death Counter, by Spanish artist Santiago Sierra has been loaned to insurers Hiscox. In return they have given him an insurance policy of 150,000 euro (£143,000) payable in the event of his death and valid for the duration of the exhibition.

Elliot McDonald, Hiscox Art Projects curator, said the work dealt with themes including "money, death and self-assurance".

The counter which began at zero at midnight is expected to climb up to 55 million by New Year's Eve 2009 at a rate of two deaths a second.

Mr McDonald said: "Death in art has forced us to question a subject we can only philosophise on - there are no guaranteed exit and entry points of information.

"Santiago Sierra has taken a very original view on the theme - equating the black hole of death to a series of numbers is both of-our-age and visually mesmerising at the same time.

"Connecting those numbers with a value of one life, his own, he brings us a whole new dilemma involving three of life's big themes; money, death and self-assurance. A fabulous concept and a stunning sculpture."

Santiago Sierra was born in Madrid in 1966. In a previous exhibition he paid refugees to stay inside cardboard boxes for several hours.

The counter is on display on the side of the Hiscox building at Great St Helen's near Liverpool Street Station.

The company has a permanent modern art collection including work by Damien Hirst and Mark Wallinger.

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