Conceptual Art of Paris
Once in a while you hear about an idea that is so obvious that you smack your forehead and cry “why didn’t I think of that?” MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATRE 3000 for example. Cheap to produce, not much different than a typical Saturday night at my house except there are robots involved and someone is paying them to do it. That kind of idea.
Conceptual artist Banksy (with DJ Dangermouse, reportedly) did something like that this week, a stunt that tapped into a sentiment so obvious that you might as well not even call it Zeitgeist. From the BBC:
Banksy has replaced Paris Hilton’s CD with his own remixes and given them titles such as Why am I Famous?, What Have I Done? and What Am I For? He has also changed pictures of her on the CD sleeve to show the US socialite topless and with a dog’s head.
A spokeswoman for Banksy said he had doctored 500 copies of her debut album Paris in 48 record shops across the UK.
She told the BBC News website: “He switched the CDs in store, so he took the old ones out and put his version in.”
The dog’s head thing is a little too mean (and doesn’t push the central joke) but you gotta admit it’s a masterstroke. Banksy kept the original barcode on the fakes so consumers paid the usual price for the CDs, and to date no one has complained or tried to return them. Hell, would you?
I suppose ramifications of this stunt would include a conviction for theft, if the record stores cared to prosecute. I have a feeling that no legal action will take place as everyone basks in the warm afterglow of publicity.