Sacrilege, 2012, inflatable plastic structure, 30m diameter (6 elements), 12 fans, 1 generator, single edition. Presented on the occasion of the FIAC 2012, Paris/FR.

Jeremy Deller developed Sacrilege as a reproduction of the famous megalithic site, Stonehenge, located in the United-Kingdom. He chooses a subversive perspective, challenging the sacrality and the accessibility of religious, political and identity emblems. With this inflatable and playful version in contrast to the rigidity of the original stone, he confronts History and the idea of heritage, sacrificing the monument symbolically. A sacrifice allowing the exaltation of a mass creative potential, offering a collective artistic experience.

This sculpture is a participative artwork, accessible to all, reviving the landmark listed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage selection. A renewed Stonehenge reconnecting with its first purpose, offering a space to share and build a community. Jeremy Deller reminds us the importance of investing spaces to give them new meanings and uses. Sacrilege was once displayed on the Invalides’ lawn, in Paris, during the FIAC 2012. The same year, the installation gave birth to an independent photographic series, titled “English Magic”.

English magic series, 2012, photographs, lambda prints laminated on dibond, 8-pieces polyptych, 40×50 each.

Those few photographs immortalize the pirouettes of young gymnasts within the inflatable megalithic temple. Through playfulness, the idea is to bring together two cultures, separated by several centuries.