The Turner Prize winning artist Douglas Gordon has gone on an axe-wielding rampage at HOME the centre for international contemporary art, theatre and film in Manchester. Gordon, currently directing Neck Of The Woods at the Festival, launched the axe attack on the walls of the new £25m venue where his show is currently being staged.
It is understood that the axe is a stage prop from the set of the play, based on children’s fable Little Red Riding Hood who is saved from the belly of a wolf by a woodcutter, but Gordon’s production, starring Charlotte Rampling and pianist Helene Grimaud, has received several poor reviews.
The damage to the inside of the HOME arts venue was caused when the Turner Prize-winner struck the wall with an axe and then drew a wolf’s claw and signed the ‘work’. Alex Poots, CEO and artistic director of Manchester International Festival, told Manchester Evening News: “We understand that one of our artists acted in a wholly inappropriate way after the opening of Neck Of The Woods, causing slight damage to the fabric of HOME’s new building.
“This is totally unacceptable and the artist involved will be paying for repairs. MIF and the artist have contacted staff who were present and our co-commissioning partners at HOME to apologise. MIF is an artist-led festival – we support artists to make ambitious new work. We do not support or condone reckless, inappropriate or intimidating behaviour and will work with our co-commissioning partners and artistic and producing teams to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”
The damage was inflicted to the concrete walls of the new theatre after the third performance of the play on Saturday night at 10.28pm. The artist’s sketch is a reference to the production, which is based on the ‘big bad wolf’ common in children’s fairytales and the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Glasgow born artist won the Turner Prize in 1996 for Confessions of a Justified Sinner, becoming the first video artist to take the title.