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 organization 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 humor, 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:
