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Art installation from Turner Prize nominee valued at £1m - as LBC attempts to recreate it

David Shrigley spent months scouring the country for unwanted material to prove he really can get money for old rope

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LBC has tried to recreate the £1 million art
LBC has tried to recreate the £1 million art. Picture: LBC/PA

By Ella Bennett

A Turner Prize-nominated artist has launched an exhibition where the only artwork is a 10-tonne pile of discarded rope priced at £1 million.

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LBC has tried to recreate the art ourselves, but with just 15 minutes to find the rope, rather than the eight months David Shrigley spent scouring the country for unwanted material.

Reporter Helen Hoddinott started with slightly bigger ropes to make the base, before piling more on top.

She said: "David Shrigley has described his million pound price tag as a provocation and said he'd be surprised if someone bought it. But I have more confidence in mine."

Shrigley spent months scouring the country for unwanted material to prove he really can get money for old rope.

All lengths gathered for the installation - from cruise liner mooring lines to slim cords used for crab and lobster pots - were treated and cleaned at Shrigley's studio to prepare it for public exhibition.

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A Turner Prize-nominated artist has launched an exhibition where the only artwork is a 10-tonne pile of discarded rope priced at £1 million.
A Turner Prize-nominated artist has launched an exhibition where the only artwork is a 10-tonne pile of discarded rope priced at £1 million. Picture: PA
David Shrigley spent months scouring the country for unwanted material to prove he really can get money for old rope.
David Shrigley spent months scouring the country for unwanted material to prove he really can get money for old rope. Picture: PA
Exhibition Of Old Rope will run at the Stephen Friedman Gallery in London from November 13 to December 20.
Exhibition Of Old Rope will run at the Stephen Friedman Gallery in London from November 13 to December 20. Picture: PA

He said: "This exhibition started with an idiom. Old rope has no use. It's also hard to recycle, so there's a lot of it lying around.

"I thought, what if I turn that into a literal exhibition of old rope? And then say, yes, this is art, and yes, you can buy it for £1 million."

Exhibition Of Old Rope will run at the Stephen Friedman Gallery in London from November 13 to December 20.