Monday, November 13, 2006

Trade

On the evening of Saturday November 11th I offered my studio space as a market place and invited visitors to trade their unwanted goods, services, and ideas. To kick start the event I offered a pebble I had engraved with a bar code. Participants brought stuff throughout the day and trading began at 8pm. During the course of the evening all manner of goods, services and pledges were offered and exchanged including; a leather jacket for a limited edition postcard, the engraved pebble for a set of curtains, a plastic mole for a hardback New York City Guide, a goldwatch for a bracelet, a stalkers telephone number for a copy of Joseph Conrads' The Heart of Darkness and an original Adam Ant unused notebook for a used cinema ticket with a history. As the evening wore on numerous other items and services were offered including a kiss, a loaf of home baked bread, a haircut, (not by a hairdresser, by an artist), an apple, and an offer to sweep a driveway clear of Autumn leaves.

Throughout the evening no money exchanged hands.

The first item to be offered for Trade; an engraved pebble.The second items I received for Trade; a paperback book, The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and a limited editon postcard and a dinosaur......
The next thing to be offered for Trade was a haircut, (by an artist , not a professional hairdresser),then a dodgy leather jacket ........followed by a much loved plastic mole........a journal, Dreams That Money Can Buy ,and an original unused Adam Ant notebook,some 1950's curtains,a home baked loaf of bread, a Blue guide to New York City,an offer to sweep a drove clear of autumn leaves....... an apple,a broken gold watch, bought on a street market in Rotterdam, the telephone number of Melanie's stalker............a kiss..........a drawing, A yellow pipecleaner manA well travelled refreshing airline towel,A wierd thing found on a beach,and many more things, including a Gap T shirt, a ticket for Club Brenda, and lastly an empty bottle of coke.At 8pm trading began.......A stalkers telephone number is traded for The Heart of Darkness paperback....The unused Adam Ant notebook was traded with a used cinema ticket with a history,the pebble is exchanged for the 1950's curtainsThe gold watch is traded for a jewel encrusred braclet,The leather jacket for the limited edition postcard.Trading continued throughout the evening and long after I had gone home. When I returned the next day all that was left was a table full of crumbs, a Club Brenda Ticket, the apple and an empty bottle of coke. And no one was brave enough to accept the offer of haircut by an artist. and this card.
A huge "Thank you" to all of you who took part in Trade.

1 Comments:

Blogger Zero Lubin said...

Discovered your site through Guardian article - I really like your work - Thank you
Gerry King

9:47 AM  

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