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This Is Not a Test ventures into the curious world of what is and is not art. The basics: a survey, a quarter, a button machine and a Polaroid. Imagine a crowded art opening full of strangers prepared to buy large paintings. Then enter three individuals with clipboards clad in identical t-shirts—“service with a smile”. We introduced people to the installation; we talked to them about art history; we helped them buy a button from the vending machine for a quarter; we took their picture with the button; we gave a survey on the experience, on the potential for “art” in the piece. Why? I am obsessed with Marcel DuChamp, a dead white man who understands otherness. Also, I went to a contemporary art school that just about educated the artist out of me. Art can be silly and fun and a little like a classroom. I wanted to share my obsession with art history. The idea isn’t to exclude everyone who didn’t know about mannerism or futurism. It’s about providing a reason to find out about futurism’s manifesto—war as a cleansing act. I also wanted to be quippy with Susan O’Malley’s button maker and vending machine (not only did she lend me said equipment, but she inspired me to push boundaries when it comes to people and art). While we’re on the topic of cool artists, Bailey Smith is the fella who made this piece happen. Without him, you might be looking at pictures of a vending machine surrounded by paintings of naked women with vacuum cleaners and frog masks. His frog mask. This project is part social experiment, part socialist protest against a mechanized world and part frolic into the lush world of art historical movements. |
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