r/pics 21h ago

Arts/Crafts Someone in my building added an explanation to my “art exhibit”

Post image
26.6k Upvotes

474 comments sorted by

1.6k

u/Erock482 21h ago

“On loan until claimed” is excellent

84

u/redditproha 12h ago

Sotheby's has entered the chat

u/ImNotAWhaleBiologist 11h ago

Just make a stencil and it’s worth millions.

3.5k

u/wolftick 21h ago

Add a frame around the lot and then add another description next to it.

2.4k

u/CyberSpork 21h ago

I am legit tempted to get a frame to put around it

1.2k

u/wolftick 21h ago

Do it. They might respond again and down the line you'll end up with a really weird iterative art wall.

433

u/Flourpower6 20h ago

I thought you would say they would end up in a really weird relationship. I for one am rooting for OP and art writer à la You’ve Got Mail romantic comedy realness.

89

u/Zenshinn 19h ago

Turns out it's that neighbor that they hate?

117

u/Banaam 18h ago

That they USED to hate.

20

u/tjbugs1 17h ago

He slept with my wife, I'll continue to hate them both.

6

u/WharfRat2187 15h ago

The hate comes full circle when the NAGGING WONT STOP

25

u/Altruistic-Walk-1847 18h ago

Enemies to Lovers is a whole entire romance genre!

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35

u/TakenInChains 19h ago

I'd read a fanfic with this concept. I wonder if I log on to ao3 and search lost sunglasses in like two hours, if there'll be a new fic with like two chapters already written

28

u/MacAddict81 18h ago

Novella with an unwritten 7th chapter, chapter 6 ends unresolved, and the author abandons the work.

u/TalveLumi 9h ago

Then there is a literature critic in the comment section

u/MacAddict81 5h ago

And one person in the comments claiming without providing any proof that the author stole their previously unreleased work

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u/beticanmakeusayblack 18h ago

Honestly what’s even the difference between human relationships and really weird iterative art walls

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u/Dangolian 20h ago

If OP adds a frame, someone else should add a red velvet crowd control rope.

If they keep it up they'll have an artist going on hunger strike in a transparent cube in the corner of their stairwell by the end of August.

25

u/YesDaddyThankYouSir 19h ago

Yes! Or put a taped line on the floor so people don’t get too close to the exhibit.

25

u/Jefrex 20h ago

Could use a nice shiny abstract plastic bench and a large fern.

14

u/Hopeful-Flounder-203 20h ago

Bro will be charging entrance fees in a week!

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u/azzaisme 18h ago

Iterative art is my new favourite art.

I'm so used to art just getting locked in forever.

Except for graffiti

7

u/Armlegx218 19h ago

They might respond again and down the line you'll end up with a really weird iterative art wall gallery.

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u/Majestic_Course6822 21h ago

Take measurements and head to the closest thrift store. Ideally, you’d find the frame in the trash or on the street, but thrifted works, too. I’m oddly invested in this now.

55

u/CyberSpork 21h ago

I was thinking about that but the lack of frame makes it seem more modern art/dada art

62

u/BookerDeWittsCarbine 20h ago

No frame makes it feel very MoMA

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u/GobsOfficeMagic 20h ago

Hmm. Maybe add a spotlight? There are adhesive led ones.

16

u/questionable_motifs 20h ago

RemindMe! 1 year

Can't wait to see the gallery that grows from this.

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u/illumas 20h ago

Add the frame next to it, not surrounding it ... Or possibly around the note.

11

u/CyberSpork 20h ago

Haha that is a funny idea I like it

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u/bbcwtfw 16h ago

QR code that links to the text in Spanish or an audio tour stop.

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8

u/100_cats_on_a_phone 20h ago

I agree. I think at this point you might need to do a series, if the opportunity comes up.

4

u/Capital_Condition874 19h ago

Just like the banana

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u/TheRealTinfoil666 21h ago

“This artwork, complete with deliberately crudely-constructed ‘notes’, is a commentary on the irreverent use of faux art as a means of critiquing the over-focus on consumerism and disposable lifestyles that has become ubiquitous in modern Western society.

11

u/apocolipse 16h ago

“This Reddit comment that is in reply to another Reddit comment that is describing hypothetical meta commentary on already existing meta commentary is exactly the type of analytical complacency that has driven modern languages to need to create not only fourth person pronouns but 5th and 6th person pronouns as well as ‘the fifth wall’ that only exists in 4D space and single quotes”

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u/foboz123 20h ago

Frame it with masking tape

12

u/lkodl 20h ago

Owner is gonna go, "hey, I have that exact pair! How is this art?"

10

u/Quirky_Win_8951 18h ago

Add a red dot sticker

3

u/ManifestDestinysChld 20h ago

SUPER cheap at thrift shops

3

u/HappyWarBunny 19h ago

Velvet rope would be even better, I think.

3

u/Klutzy-Client 18h ago

Also get a stanchion, and a wee velvet rope

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u/nekolalia 20h ago

With a title: Ceci nest pas un exposition d'art

9

u/edeshar32 19h ago

Dr. Dada or how I learned to stop worrying and love the art

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2.5k

u/Dear_Mycologist_1696 21h ago

This is true art. I like to believe it will remain there in your building lobby, behind a red velvet rope, for years to come.

400

u/FrighteningJibber 19h ago

76

u/MoreRamenPls 19h ago

4

u/Bombinic 18h ago

I understand this reference.

11

u/katastrof 17h ago

The history of our illustrious gallery, believe it or not, began with a pair of lost sunglasses.

115

u/m4gpi 19h ago

If I was in this building I might have to steal them, bc they are cute and I like the style. But I would at least stage a blatant caper, dressed in a black bodysuit and mask. Replace them with pink bedazzled reading glasses and re-orient the tape in the wrong direction. Leave some clues, like a chewing gum wrapper and a receipt from the store around the corner for gum, rope, and shoe polish. Something like that.

44

u/raevnos 19h ago

Time for a Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego revival!

36

u/CyberSpork 19h ago

I like your style

36

u/pitchingataint 18h ago

I like to believe the owner passes them everyday knowing they will have a better time on the wall. If you love them, let them go.

13

u/freakers 17h ago

They've sparked joy for me once, now they inspire joy in everyone.

7

u/TamariAmari 17h ago

I read that card in Werner Hertzog’s voice. It’s amazing.

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1.5k

u/CyberSpork 21h ago

If this was you please reach out because that is an A+ addition

277

u/jappyjappyhoyhoy 20h ago

Add a QR code that brings people to the post to add more content here

154

u/CyberSpork 19h ago

Nah. I just posted this here for shits and giggles. I’m shocked how well it did

30

u/sewilde 20h ago

Line 4 is inspired

7

u/_thiccems 16h ago

You need to find them and become best friends and/or get married

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u/ripyourlungsdave 21h ago

It's almost a whole new piece altogether.

A story about artistic cooperation with people we don't even know overpowering the dangers, bastardization and inherent devaluation of art that's brought about by disposable, late-stage capitalism.

70

u/CyberSpork 21h ago

“It’s almost a whole new piece”

21

u/dbwedgie 19h ago

It's an entirely different kind of flying

6

u/Ok_Inflation_8628 16h ago

All together

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u/cpencis 20h ago

“It’s almost a whole new piece.”

6

u/ripyourlungsdave 17h ago

Am I missing a reference here? Why are people so hung up on that phrasing?..

2

u/cpencis 17h ago

It’s a childish pun.

The statement is “it’s a whole new piece altogether” can also be read as “it’s a whole new piece” all together. As in everyone say this…

4

u/ripyourlungsdave 14h ago

Lmao.

Y'all are way funnier than me.

u/OrangeBracelet 7h ago

It’s used a few times in the movie Airplane! which is a riot if you’ve never seen it

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475

u/boyz_for_now 21h ago

Damn they’re a good writer

191

u/CyberSpork 21h ago

Right? I wished I could write that well!

78

u/dollastudios 21h ago

You have a curator in your building

18

u/RIPphonebattery 21h ago

Leave your number on their note!

47

u/CyberSpork 21h ago

That defeats the ArT

7

u/3banger 20h ago

Previously known as anonymous

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u/Keganator 21h ago

Excellent satire, fabulous, 10/10, would place a floating glass case over it next.

27

u/mrefromnyc 20h ago

I like the spotlight idea from another commenter

6

u/Black_Cat_Just_That 20h ago

Yes I like that even better than the frame suggestion.

15

u/An0nymos 21h ago

With a secondhand frame around the case.

41

u/Bonzie_57 20h ago

When I encourage people to make art, this is what I mean

35

u/CyberSpork 19h ago

The irony is that I am not an artist, I only wrote the Artist/year/title/medium thing because I thought it would be funny

37

u/MrProsser 19h ago

You are an artist now.

16

u/confusedkarnatia 17h ago

A lot of the avant-garde and conceptual artists had the goal of pushing the limits of what is considered art. A classic being Fountain by Duchamp. One example would be does the piece provoke you into a certain type of emotion or revaluation of an idea, in this case maybe an everyday item reframed in a new light. Based on the response from people who've reacted to your post, I would say there's no reason it's not art. Duchamp said that even something that is not physically made by an artist, but arises due to the choices he or she makes, it can still be a valid piece of art.

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u/scotty2012 21h ago

you MUST add a cheap frame

34

u/Toweliee420 21h ago

Now hang an empty frame around the entire thing, also with its own title and author card.

8

u/Scorpy-yo 18h ago

By Anonymous and Anonymous

25

u/creative-heart 21h ago

community notes IRL

28

u/Stormjoy 20h ago

this brought me joy after a bad day at work, thanks for sharing

11

u/CyberSpork 20h ago

Glad I could help!

22

u/ShakesDontBreak 21h ago

I wish you folks were my neighbors.

23

u/luckystrike_bh 20h ago

Jokes on everyone else. This is actually a Banksy and you are passing up a major payday.

21

u/amanuensisninja 19h ago

I love this. As part of a secret art society back in the 80s and 90s, I used to create museum signs for mundane objects, like “Fire Extinguisher: Metal, plastic, paper, mixed chemicals” and “Broken Elevator Button: Metal, plastic, unreliable electrical wiring”.

17

u/jamall1978 20h ago

Did anyone else read that in Werner Herzog's voice 

4

u/marilyn_morose 18h ago

The only voice in my head.

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u/sciencesez 21h ago

THIS is Reddit gold. 🏆

Edit to add that I'm referring to this entire thread and the post. Well done fellow redditors!

13

u/HansumJack 18h ago

I love the touch of it being "on loan" until claimed lol

11

u/dogtroep 18h ago

Things like this always restore my faith in humanity.

34

u/Antihistamine69 21h ago

TBH I don't care for the tape

72

u/CyberSpork 21h ago

I originally saw them taped to the wall so I added the piece under it. It was a whimsical decision

15

u/Teantis 18h ago

If the sunglasses ever disappear, you should replace the tape and make a new caption that talks about referentiality and how the tape draws attention to the memory of what was once there, but only for those who saw and noticed it in the first place. For those who never noticed or moved in after, it's only a mysterious emphasis on a seemingly otherwise arbitrary spot on the wall. A commentary on ephemerality, memory and experience.

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u/Gustav_Grob 21h ago

You are the true artist. Whoever can extemporaneously stack the tallest pile of BS wins the exhibition, grant, sale.

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u/ayoungtommyleejones 21h ago

What would you prefer?

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u/seizurevictim 21h ago

super glue.

as it stands, this is too much of a lazy iteration of "banana on wall", 2019.

30

u/yekcowrebbaj 21h ago

Very derivative

30

u/entity2 21h ago

It insists upon itself.

13

u/seizurevictim 21h ago

Perchance.

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u/Veritas413 21h ago

Indubitably

3

u/Zomburai 21h ago

Crushin turts

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u/ayoungtommyleejones 21h ago

I could see it more presented as a duchamp style readymade. Maybe just a little wall mounted platform with a plexi bonnet, or go full late duchamp and have a hand crafted glasses case made for it. But in that case, comedian already harkens back to dada (and is likely derivative of other banana themed works, like warhols), and the absurdity of art/commodity, so derivative artworks and presentation styles would be in line with the theme, in my opinion.

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u/sciencesez 21h ago

But the banana on the wall lacked context.

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u/Wormbrain 21h ago

Honestly, that's what does it for me. Who even uses that tape anymore? So bold!

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u/Duchess0612 21h ago

It screams ‘this is just what I had in my “everything” drawer… ‘ and for that reason, I think it really works with the artwork. Which screams, ‘this was just on the floor and I found it.’

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u/Wormbrain 20h ago

-finger snaps-

7

u/Duchess0612 21h ago

The tape was a choice. It also belongs as part of the art. Because of the choice.

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u/Antihistamine69 19h ago

I respect that. I could be wrong. I regret submitting my opinion.

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u/tomoom165 21h ago

Much like the owner didn't care for the sunglasses

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u/ChronoMonkeyX 20h ago

If those were mine and I saw this, I'd leave them there.

They belong to humanity now.

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u/horsecowelephant 20h ago

Needs a velvet rope

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u/sirhackenslash 20h ago

At least one of your neighbors is cool

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u/TimeSovereign 19h ago

Life is hard. I live for art like this.

Can I buy a magnet of it for our fridge? I have too many Tshirts and tote bags.

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u/gaoshan 19h ago

You joke but this would quite seriously work in certain art classes.

I remember one morning I was walking into our fine arts building for class and the grad student exhibition space (a very cool, angular and minimalist room) was empty… gleaming white with ample sunlight pouring in from overhead. The double doors were wide open and the empty room was roaring with the sound of construction happening above the space. The thunderous sound filling this completely sterile and brilliantly lit environment was kind of remarkable. I stopped and stared for a second and within moments a small group had formed. I said it was a performance piece being tested out and then walked away and that narrative took over with people speculating about what amazing thing was being planned.

4

u/AwesomeBrainPowers 13h ago

this would quite seriously work in certain art classes

The three rules of art school:

  1. If it doesn't work, say that was deliberate.

  2. If it still doesn't work, paint it red.

  3. If that still doesn't work, set it on fire.

5

u/blortyblortblort 19h ago

Please keep your eyes open for more and title your curation. One name that came to mind .. objets d'iscard.

7

u/kddog98 18h ago

This is the best thing I've seen on the Internet today.

7

u/ratiganthegreat 16h ago

This is the whimsy I want in my world. Bravo to both of you.

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u/chromepho3nix 20h ago

I read the explanation in Bill Nighy's voice explaining Van Gogh's work in the Doctor Who episode "Vincent and The Doctor"
Edit: Spelling

3

u/CyberSpork 20h ago

Don’t you mean Van Goff? Britishism joke.

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u/MissGreatPersonality 18h ago

Sometimes humans are cool.

4

u/InfinitelyRepeating 18h ago

Several Christmases ago, I had my young children make masterpieces on card stock. I framed them, wrote an overwrought interpretation, and gifted them to relatives.

Sample

5

u/Blue_Eyed_ME 17h ago

Find this person. Marry them. Have babies. We need more of this in the gene pool.

6

u/Mindless-Ad2554 15h ago

I appreciate your neighbors

u/drCrankoPhone 11h ago

This might be one of the best things I’ve seen on reddit in years. Not even kidding.

3

u/whiznat 21h ago

I was wondering where those got off to!

4

u/lemdrag 21h ago

Add a price tag

3

u/sailorknots77 21h ago

This made my day!

8

u/StinkStar 21h ago

I love spontaneously arting art

3

u/mrgraff 20h ago

"For me, one of the most curious things about this piece is its wonderful afunctionalism."

"Yes, I see what you mean. Divorced from its function and seen purely as a piece of art, its structure of line and colour is curiously counterpointed by the redundant vestiges of its function." 

"And since it has no call to be here, the art lies in the fact that it is here."

3

u/highlift 20h ago

They made that art even more art man
https://giphy.com/gifs/117P9MlBvxqSBi

3

u/DMVSPIRITS 20h ago

Fuck this is gonna be worth something now

3

u/readerf52 20h ago

You have some very clever people in your building.

My brothers-in-law are very fond of antifuntionalism as an art form. They would love this.

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u/wizzard419 20h ago

Oh I used to do that when I worked in an office. Such as when they removed a wall switch but didn't plaster over. If I recall, it was a statement on man's inhumanity towards the environment, leaving a scar.

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u/peonypentagram 20h ago

I agree with everyone else keep it going and frame it

3

u/YesDaddyThankYouSir 19h ago

Enlist a friend to dress up as a security guard to keep watch over it and do crowd control.

3

u/KennyFulgencio 19h ago

lucky fucker, people in my building can't even read

3

u/FilipinoSpartan 19h ago

I was walking by an abandoned front bike wheel locked to a bike rack every day for a long while, and at some point I thought it'd make for a nice satirical modern art piece by "at least two anonymous artists."

3

u/invader1984 19h ago

what a legend

3

u/WolfsmaulVibes 19h ago

a unrelated stranger adding a explanation to a abstract art piece is genuinely a genius piece of art, i for one think abstract art should never go without at least a hint towards the meaning, but officially using the explanation of another person sounds so fun

3

u/Lousy_minor_setback 18h ago

This brings me a small measure of joy.

3

u/Ganjaleezarice69 18h ago

These types of human interactions are truly the best

3

u/shiggyhardlust 18h ago

Serendipitous Floor Retrieval needs to be a folk punk band name

3

u/musememo 18h ago

FYI, it needs an accession number (used to work in a museum).

3

u/honey_rainbow 18h ago

I love this idea

3

u/SkullsInSpace 17h ago

Why is this more effective than half of what I made in art school lmao

3

u/Basemastuh_J 17h ago

Your apartment is full of whimsy folks and I need to move there

3

u/I_Want_More_Meaning 17h ago

I want to live where you live.

3

u/-im-your-huckleberry 16h ago

The MFA on the couch next to me says that's spot on. Exactly how they teach them in school.

3

u/healthcrusade 15h ago

At all costs, make friends with this person

3

u/Gow87 15h ago

I believe this is the work of Van Kliest. He turns the mundane into the evocative.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p062v235

I actually have another piece of his, acquired in the Austrian Alps.

u/WellsHansen 10h ago

Brilliant!

u/Austenny 8h ago

Needs more banana

u/AverageJoe-707 2h ago

The writing here outshines the art.

2

u/IamStarGoat 21h ago

Amazing addition.

2

u/Trey-Pan 21h ago

Just don’t let anyone eat it.

2

u/VTSki001 21h ago

Its a good note!

2

u/mspolytheist 20h ago

That’s fantastic.

2

u/ora408 20h ago

now do lost pen

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u/CyberSpork 20h ago

If there is a pen I see taped to a wall, sure. I did not tape the glasses to the wall tho

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u/Endersand 20h ago

Your art and the art of the explainer are phenomenal! Bravo

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u/MortgageRegular2509 20h ago

Turns out I’m doing art at my friends houses

2

u/BrilliantTea133 20h ago

I couldn't love this more

2

u/aLonelyClone 20h ago

This is awesome and I love it and this is real art now

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u/Qzy 20h ago

Now put a banana next to it for scale. Use duct tape.

Naaah, that's just a dumb idea.

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u/wrenbell 20h ago

10/10 no notes.

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u/Minflick 20h ago

Bahahahahaha!

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u/CouchPotatoFamine 20h ago

They forgot to add the $14,500 price tag though.

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u/LaFlamaBlanca67 20h ago

Honestly this seems like a description of an item of power from ‘Control.’

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u/givemeyours0ul 19h ago

Buy a pair of broken Meta glasses, tape the to the wall and title it "Surveillance"

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u/DaDibbel 19h ago

Brilliant analysis/critique.

2

u/danamarie222 19h ago

This post restores my faith in humanity.

2

u/jmdobosh1 19h ago

I’ve done this with puzzles I finished then glued together! We made an anonymous art gallery and people added other works! I have pictures

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u/Fienx 19h ago

This whole art piece will soon sell for thousands of dollars. I can see it happening.

2

u/luv2ctheworld 19h ago

I love the creativity exhibited.

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u/dewidubbs 19h ago

Put a frame around the whole thing now.

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u/milleribsen 18h ago

This is giving me flashbacks to college, doing a theater design degree, late nights in the studio we'd play a game where someone would call someone else and give them a ridiculous design choice and tell them to rationalize it. Super nerdy and super fun.

My favorite I came up with was a friend called on me "milleribsen, costuming Richard III completely in tulle" and I shot back after a second "oh we're highlighting the flimsy and unsubstantial nature of monarchy."

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u/madddskillz 18h ago

This would sell for a million at art basel

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u/Traditional-Brief774 18h ago

This is incredible 😂😂😂

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u/nonchalantlarch 18h ago

As an avid museum-goer, I enjoyed the satire. I actually like modern art, but dear Lord, can those notes and "artist statements" sound pretentious.

2

u/VickyCuteFemboy 18h ago

You are Anonymous? i love your poems, and art, you are an expert hacker i see

2

u/tchrbrian 18h ago

next step : Technical explanation of tape

2

u/DigbyChickenZone 17h ago

Ya'll need to become best friends.

2

u/N_Associated 17h ago

The write uP MAKES it art. Sure had me interested and thoughtful for the duration of the 30 seconds

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u/monkeyswithgunsmum 17h ago

Frame around it suspended by those art gallery plastic strings