Performed at Cantanker’s 2008 holiday fundraiser event.
The performance began with me seated on the floor shoeless in my boxers and a white undershirt. Behind me a television played audio clips of analysis of the financial system meltdown brought about by the subprime mortgage crisis. Additional clips of a more conspiratorial nature related to lending and debt were also featured.
Scattered about me on the floor were pennies and a golfing glove. Above me, a dress shirt, blazer, tie, and dress pants hung from a clothes hanger. Throughout the performance, I collected pennies and organized them into columns in front of me. Every four or five minutes, I pulled an item of clothing from the clothes hanger and clothed myself until I was fully dressed as a man of business. Then, I put on the golfing glove.
At this point, I grabbed a golf club that was located behind the television while the audio clips playing on the television grew louder. Once the clips reached maximum volume, I addressed the pennies with the golf club and began shouting, “In five, four, three, two, one!” in conjuction with my voice on the television. I then raised the golf club to swing at the columns of pennies. I swung the club within inches of the first column and then dropped the club, grabbed as many pennies from the columns of pennies as I could and ran out of the space, completing the performance.
I donated all the pennies/coins from my change collection (approximately $10 in value) to Cantanker.
photos by Don Mason

