Take Damien Hirst's AR Snapchat lens for a spin

Damien Hirst, 2020 © Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. All rights reserved, DACS 2020

(Image credit: TBC)

British artist Damien Hirst has joined forces with Snapchat to develop a new spin art lens in aid of Partners in Health. The initiative sees Hirst's renowned – and divisive – spin paintings spun into an augmented reality experience. Users can create and share their own spin paintings by lashing, dashing and splashing vivid virtual paint onto a round, whirling canvas. All that’s required is the Snapchat app, a reasonable Internet connection and a lust for colour.

The collaboration is in support of Partners in Health, a non-profit social justice organisation bringing quality health care to vulnerable communities across the world. Stationed in four continents, Partners in Health are using more than 30 years of experience in fighting epidemics to provide vital information and care to those most in need during the Covid-19 crisis.

Beautiful Catalogue of Human Insensitivities Tingles Down the Lager and Lime Splat Painting — Damien Hirst, *Beautiful Catalogue of Human Insensitivities Tingles Down the Lager and Lime Splat* *Painting*, 2017. © Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. All rights reserved, DACS 2020

‘It's amazing to be working with Snapchat on this totally mega spin art lens and making it possible for millions of people to make their own spin paintings right from their phones,’ says Hirst, who drew inspiration for his famed spin paintings from memories of watching BBC's Blue Peter as a child. ‘I'm so happy that this partnership also supports Partners in Health, a brilliant and forward-thinking organisation that helps communities in developing countries around the world cope with the devastating impact of Covid-19.’

INFORMATION

damienhirst.com
snapchat.com
pih.org

Harriet Lloyd-Smith was the Arts Editor of Wallpaper*, responsible for the art pages across digital and print, including profiles, exhibition reviews, and contemporary art collaborations. She started at Wallpaper* in 2017 and has written for leading contemporary art publications, auction houses and arts charities, and lectured on review writing and art journalism. When she’s not writing about art, she’s making her own.