He's the worm that turned... into art!

Wrapped in clingfilm, wearing goggles and trunks, Paul Hurley, 25, spent nine days slithering about in the mud in the rain and cold in his show Becoming Earthworm in Devon.

But his antics, funded by government, council and European grants, have met with criticism from some who claim it was money badly spent.

One such critic said: "why should the taxpayer pay for someone to pretend to be an earthworm?"

Back at home well-known local artists are amused at Paul's work. Wimborne-based artist and former mayor Minna Harvey joked: "Is he actually swallowing mud!?

"Live and let live, but I shall have to see it to believe it."

Paul, a former Queen Elizabeth's School student, conceded in an earlier private viewing of the exhibition he did eat some earth: "but only a few spoonfuls."

Throughout the exhibition Paul remained in a 3ft wide hole, burrowing, cleaning the soil and creating worm casts out of the earth - stopping only to nibble on a leaf or two.

Sculptor Peter Balding, from Wimborne, commented: "Good for him, he is obtaining free publicity and other artists will be envious of that. Conceptual art has been controversial since it was around 40 years ago. It's about making you think and engaging attention. People will be asking why he is doing this - perhaps it's about environmental issues or the lifestyle of the worm.

"Those who criticise conceptual art are sometimes into art as a trophy. But compare what Paul Hurley is doing out in the open with Van Gogh's Sunflowers locked inside a bank vault in Japan that no-one ever sees and I'd ask: 'Is there any difference?'"

Paul explained his work as: "About exploring the boundaries between human and animal and an exploration of the earth and dirtiness.

"It wasn't just me pretending to be an earthworm, it was a performance in relation to the site and raised environmental questions."

"My parents do think it's a bit bizarre but they are very supportive."

First published: Sept 21