No, the dildo pictured is not the latest sex-toy craze by masochistic bottoms. It is actually a work of art that will hopefully raise some money for the British HIV and sexual health charity, Terrence Higgins Trust.

 

The piece was sculpted by HIV-positive artist Paul Chisholm. He explained that it is a statement about his own feelings about HIV infectiousness and the "ownership" of transmission.

 

"Straight pins puncture this phallus with a congregation of red pins, signalling danger, concentrated at the very tip of the penis," Chisholm said. "In this era of neoliberalism, where people are held more individually responsible for personal and public health, one’s ‘viral load’ becomes a way to know how infectious one is; viral load has also become a remarkable way to predict HIV transmission rates, as we’re now seeing in new prevention technologies such as community ‘viral load mapping’.

 

"Now, having a high viral load is not only potentially damaging to one’s own health, but also dangerous for those uninfected.”

 

The dildo has a guide price of about £3,000. The money will help Terrence Higgins Trust continue to provide support, information and advice services for those living with HIV and affected by HIV or poor sexual health.

 

It's either the world's most useless dildo or most expensive pin cushion.