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This is the first woman to be the U.K.'s official election artist

Cornelia Parker is the U.K.'s official election artist this year, making her the highest profile artist and the first woman to take the job since the role was created.

Cornelia Parker is the U.K.’s official election artist this year, making her the highest-profile artist and the first woman to take the job since the role was created.

The role was created by Parliament in 2001, and it’s funded by the taxpayer. In past elections, the official art works have been predictably dull, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Parker. For one of her most famous works, “Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View,” Parker blew up a shed and then arranged the fragments in London’s Tate Gallery.

This year, Parker has the unenviable task of creating an artwork that encapsulates what has been a fraught election campaign that culminated in an unexpected result.

VICE News joined her on the campaign trail as she gathered inspiration for her piece. We find out why she was so keen to take on this unusual role and what it takes to get the job.

This segment originally aired June 6, 2017, on VICE News Tonight on HBO.