Clare Twomey, Trophy

"Trophy was a new work commissioned by the V&A Museum that played with notions of value, permanence and the culture of collecting. The artist worked in collaboration with Wedgwood to produce 4000 small birds made from Jasper Blue –an historical material created by Wedgwood in the 1800s– that were then displayed throughout the Cast Courts; the concept was to create a unique object for the museum’s collections that would be both beautiful and desirable. Within five hours of opening, the public had stolen each one of the 4000 birds that made up the collection; although they were not formally invited to take the birds home, many followed the behaviour of others in the space." [her beautiful website]