Last night I went to a lecture with Alison Gerber and Joseph del Pesco at Lisa Cooley Gallery titled ”Goodbye Object, Hello Project.” It was more or less centered around this idea of how we value art, particularly in relation to art as object vs art as idea/service/process. At one point Gerber was talking about arguments for how art commodification occurs, and how if you want to be a part of the “conversation” you need to play along. That radicals often aren’t a part of the dialogue because they aren’t taken seriously. Then del Pesco said something to the effect of, if you want a seat at the table you have to play along. At that point I turned to my fiancée and said, “I want to make a new table.”
Not just that, I want us ALL to be empowered to make new tables. So I’m proposing the following: A website where anyone with an internet connection can go. They fill out a questionnaire with a set of questions designed to establish “value” in relation to various artistic, cultural and economic principles. Then based off their responses, tiny 3D-printed tables are manufactured and catapulted into a space. Like into a corner of a gallery or institution or whatever. And livestreamed, of course.
Maybe that’s a start…