Artist pulps 6,000 copies of The Da Vinci Code and turns them into limited edition copies of 1984

The Turner Prize-nominated artist came up with the plan back in 2017 when he heard that the charity shop in Swansea had stopped accepting any more copies of the conspiracy thriller.

On Saturday 1,250 copies of Shrigley’s 1984 edition will go on sale in the same Oxfam. Each is unique, costs £495 and comes complete with a signed and numbered print.

Oxfam store manager Phil Broadhurst recalls well what happened in 2017:

“Around that time there was one particular donation that we were getting a little more than we could use, which was The Da Vinci Code, because it was such a massive best seller and then a few years after, everyone is clearing their shelves.”

The store decided to make a display with a pile of Da Vinci Codes by the counter with a sign saying ‘Yeah you could give us another Da Vinci Code, but we would rather have your vinyl’

Soon after the display became viral attracting the attention of Shrigley.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Shrigley said:

“I read the story in the Telegraph and that sparked my imagination in the sense that I was like ‘I want those. I don’t know why, but I want them.’ So, I set about acquiring as many Da Vinci Codes as I could.

“We made inquiries and there is a recycling place [A Wrap Distribution in Oxfordshire] where all the unwanted books go. They had almost an unlimited number.

“I had re-read 1984 again recently and realised that George Orwell had died in 1950, so it was coming up for 70 years [in 2020] since his death. Which means that all his works are in the public domain, so it means that anyone can publish one of George Orwell’s books.

Shringly purchased for a reported six-figure sum before publishing his own editions. This is his justification for each book going on sale at £495, which a portion of the profits will be donated to Oxfam, who have also been paid for the hire of the venue.

“It’s not literary criticism, it’s almost as if the decision to use The Da Vinci Code was made for me. It was made by Phil [who put up the sign] and the Oxfam shop. It was my decision to make 1984, as I still think it’s a really important book for people to read.

“It’s interesting to take one book and make it into one specific other book. It’s quite a collaborative thing. I feel like we have collaborated with Dan Brown’s success.

“Four hundred and ninety five pounds seems like a kind of crazy price, however I have made an artwork and a signed print to go in it, which is based on a lot of the themes of 1984.

“So people are perhaps willing to pay that price for an original artwork of mine, where they might not be for the book, so I’ve sort of hedged my bets.

Pulped Fiction takes place at Oxfam Books & Music, 34 Castle Street, Swansea, 10:00 -17:00 BST 28 October and 29 October.

[Lead image: PA Media]