Gay Student Plans To Lose Virginity In Live Art Performance. WTF?

Saint Martin’s College in London is the alma mater of many a talented and famous face. Its artistic alumni read like a who’s who of the creative world.

Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and Zac Posen all studied fashion design in those exclusive halls. And some of their ex-students must have been pretty good in the choir with Jarvis Cocker, PJ Harvey and M.I.A. all cutting their musical teeth at the school.

But the latest student to garner attention is doing so for a very different reason.

Fashion alumni of St Martins: Clockwise from top left, Stella McCartney, Sarah Burton, Alexander McQueen, Zac Posen, Mary Katrantzou Fashion alumni of St Martin's: Clockwise from top left, Stella McCartney, Sarah Burton, Alexander McQueen, Zac Posen, Mary Katrantzou

Clayton Pettet is a 19 year old art student at the school. He plans to lose his virginity in front of a crowd of between 50 and 100 people in January for a performance art project entitled “Art School Stole My Virginity”.

And to make it even odder, he is going to hold a Q & A session afterwards. It’ll be like a very creepy version of “Prime Time”. Genuinely.

He claims that he wants the evening to challenge how the public views sexuality and in particular, gay virginity.  He has been planning this for three years, a project that will be the ultimate in attention-seeking narcissism and exhibitionism once in a lifetime performance.

clayton work

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Clayton says he hasn’t told his parents yet. Well I think it’s pretty safe to say that they know about it now.

And the Programme Director of Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, Alex Schady, has thrown a spanner in the educational works by saying that the project is not part of Petett’s course and that it has not been endorsed by the College. So no extra credits then.

It makes me long for the day when the enfant terrible of the school was probably Jarvis Cocker after he jumped up on stage and interrupted Michael Jackson’s 1996 performance at the Brits by mooning the King of Pop.

Maybe Jarvis was just a very proud St. Martin's alumnus who didn’t like “Earth Song” . I suspect he simply wanted to burst into “Common People” and sing about the curious Greek girl and his beloved arty institute.

Musical Alumni of St Martins: M.I.A., Jarvis Cocker, PJ Harvey Musical Alumni of St Martin's: M.I.A., Jarvis Cocker, PJ Harvey

Pettet claims that this is the avant-garde performance that we have been unintentionally waiting for. I’m waiting for a lot of things but for the love of God, this is not one of them.

I think I need Jarvis' rum and coca-cola after that.

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What do you think about his planned performance? Will it win him the critical acclaim that he hopes for and kick start a thought-provoking debate? Or does this just flabber your gast and boggle your mind?

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