This Little Piggy Went To Market, Public Project, San Francisco, CA, 2010
This Little Piggy Went To Market, Public Project, San Francisco, CA, 2010
This Little Piggy Went To Market, Public Project, San Francisco, CA, 2010
This Little Piggy Went To Market, Public Project, San Francisco, CA, 2010
This Little Piggy Went To Market, Public Project, San Francisco, CA, 2010, Sticker by KWIK
This Little Piggy Went To Market, Public Project, San Francisco, CA, 2010, Sticker by KWIK
This Little Piggy Went To Market, Public Project, San Francisco, CA, 2010
This Little Piggy Went To Market, Public Project, San Francisco, CA, 2010
This Little Piggy Went To Market, Public Project, San Francisco, CA, 2010
This Little Piggy Went To Market is part of CAPITALISM IS OVER! If You Want It, a series of interruptions/actions first launched in July 2010 that features artists from around the world responding to the need for a fundamental shift in our approach to Capitalism and the negative impact it has on the environment, health, and wellbeing of all. In July/August of 2010 Piggy could be found in San Francisco’s financial district every Tuesday and Thursday representing corporate America and handing out gifts for all.
Like the leaders of corporate America, Piggy’s role is that of a trickster. Bright pink, cuddly, and wearing a big grin, Piggy pushes a shopping cart filled with “gifts” and offers them in a gesture of kindness. However, in truth Piggy is doling out tokens of a more sinister intent: “Lies,” “Toxic Debt,” “Homelessness,” “Sludge,” “Dirty Tricks,” “Jobless,” “Dead Birds,” “Toxic Waste,” “Poverty,” and “Cancer.”Piggy was also always accompanied by a Handler, who would act as part bodyguard, part propaganda distributor.
This Little Piggy Went To Market, Public Project, San Francisco, CA, 2010
The response to Piggy was mostly very positive -- lots of thumbs up and giggles, lots of requests for photographs of or with Piggy, and occasionally a request to hug Piggy. The photos were especially successful as viral messages – I knew that every picture taken with Piggy would be shared and provide a potential launching point for a deeper discussion. I also knew that regardless of the project’s impact on sparking dialogue, I had provided an unexpected moment of delight for many folks who otherwise spend their days in a stressful and/or monotonous environment.
This Little Piggy Went To Market, Public Project, San Francisco, CA, 2010
Not surprising, the institutional response to Piggy was less than welcoming. Piggy was asked to leave pretty much from every “privately owned” space, including from the steps at Montgomery and Market, which is owned by McKesson, the steps of 555 California, and the San Francisco Shopping Center.
This Little Piggy Went To Market, Public Project, San Francisco, CA, 2010
Piggy also became a major character in a number of other projects for CAPITALISM IS OVER! that included TWCDC’s Pignapping, CONCENTRIC FLEXUS’ Consumer Strike, the poetry/prose reading, and the Lunch-In.
This Little Piggy Went To Market, Public Project, San Francisco, CA, 2010
