hahaha this is awesome. If I still produced physical products, I would have loved to have taken part in this event. posted by rebent at 9:54 AM on July 5, 2011
This reminds me of the movie Static, in which the protagonist works at a crucifix factory and takes home the errors and hangs them on the wall. You can see some of them in the poster on IMDB. posted by Huck500 at 9:58 AM on July 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
The broken bits remind me of Charlie Bucket's father bringing home the deformed toothpaste caps for Charlie, which he makes into sculptures (from the 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie version). posted by filthy light thief at 10:06 AM on July 5, 2011
Also, I wish this could happen on a very large scale. A cookie-cutter McMansion filled with the same ugly-ass concrete they pours its walls out of, or glass skyscraper filled in with more glass. posted by griphus at 10:10 AM on July 5, 2011 [4 favorites]
This is one of the few highly conceptualized art stunts that I've connected with.
The article mentioned responses from the workers who made the non-functional items. I would enjoy getting a larger slice of their life and thoughts on making something intentionally broken. posted by jsturgill at 10:15 AM on July 5, 2011
Maybe it's highly conceptualized, but it's easy to "get". These objects are incorrect. How? Why? The answer forms your reaction.
If your answer is "because a guy ordered some factories for some incorrect objects" then maybe this isn't for you. posted by LogicalDash at 10:19 AM on July 5, 2011
I cannot get over how much I love those sunglasses. Utterly recognizable, very nearly intact, and the flaw takes a second to sink in, but completely useless as functional items. posted by Tomorrowful at 10:20 AM on July 5, 2011 [4 favorites]
I wonder if instead he had asked for items that failed QA how different our reactions would be. (Because here, the artists are really the factory workers who created the object on purpose..) posted by k5.user at 10:22 AM on July 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
I love this! It's interesting to see how each manufacturer interpreted the order - I wonder how much the language barrier affected the outcome versus if the manufacturer was a mass-producer rather than a small-scale company (the pipe and cane strike me more as specialist items compared to the chair or shoe)? posted by pyrex at 10:26 AM on July 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
Maybe it's highly conceptualized, but it's easy to "get". These objects are incorrect. How? Why? The answer forms your reaction.
Ever watch a movie and spend just as much time thinking about what it might have been as what it actually was? I do that all the time. Same thing with this. As thoughtful and interesting as the project is, I'd love to see a third element: the thoughts of a craftsman (or assembly line worker) intentionally creating an object with no utility. Did they think of it as art? Did they find it playful? Annoying? Was it cathartic? Did it add stress to their day or relieve it? Were they sad they could only make one? Did they make another one for themselves to give as a joke present?
The quote that serves as the title of the post is as interesting as any one of the pictures. posted by jsturgill at 10:30 AM on July 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
This is a fantastic idea for a project. I would have loved to hear the discussions at the various factories over what they should do. Some of the pieces are really quite attractive and well-thought-out. posted by Thorzdad at 10:48 AM on July 5, 2011
This is great. It's especially nice that unlike a lot of conceptual artists he credits the people who actually made these things. posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 10:58 AM on July 5, 2011
The second link doesn't seem to have anything about this artwork on it. posted by LogicalDash at 11:03 AM on July 5, 2011
Stuff like this is why I dig art. (ugh, shovel pun unintentional, but inevitable after cmoj's direct link, I think). posted by Alterscape at 11:52 AM on July 5, 2011
There are some incredibly creative factory workers out there. Those sunglasses are the work of a genius. posted by It's Never Lurgi at 12:21 PM on July 5, 2011
Those sunglasses strike me in particular because they seem to come from a mass-producer, yet they're so subtle in their approach. It took me a while to understand that "oh, yeah, those are sunglasses, but.. wait.. no nose could fit those" posted by pyrex at 1:15 PM on July 5, 2011
All I could think was that Lord Voldemort's got awesome shades. posted by gracedissolved at 3:27 PM on July 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
Neat.
posted by The Whelk at 9:50 AM on July 5, 2011