Clayton and his friend will engage in safe sex until completion before asking the audience what they thought of the performance.

But second-year student at Central Saint Martins art school in London has been accused of cheapening sex and art the stunt which will take place on January 25 next year.

Clayton, who has been planning the event for three years, said: “The key thing about performance art is that it should only be performed once, and this is the ultimate once-in-a-lifetime performance.

“I’ve held on to my virginity for 19 years, and I’m not throwing it away lightly. Basically it’s like I am losing the stigma around virginity.

“I want the audience to see if anything has changed between me and my partner.

“Since culturally we do hold quite a lot of value to the idea of virginity I have decided to use mine and the loss of it to create a piece that I think will stimulate interesting debate and questions regarding the subject.”

Clayton, who has not told his parents about the project, has told a tutors at the prestigious university, once attended by famed musicians Jarvis Cocker and M.I.A..

But gay campaigners have slammed Clayton’s decision to lose his virginity in public.

The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement reckon the project is not art and cheapens the special relationship of sex between loving partners.

Spokesperson Rev Sharon Ferguson said: “I’m not quite sure how that’s art. My view is that we believe that all sexuality is a gift from God.

“It’s about what you do with it and how we use it is an expression of our love for God.

For my imagining in sex as an art form, I don’t think this falls into that category.

“My issue is around is this the right expression of someone’s bodily sexuality? As an art project in front of an audience, where is the love, respect and mutuality in that?

“Stunts like this cheapens our own sexual relationships.”