Anonymous / Authentic User

This week’s assignment was “Create a performance that is a ‘mask’ or a ‘disguise’ that allows you to do or say things that you would never do as ‘you’.”

You know the ads on subways, and how people sometimes stick their own ads on them? I made one of those.

I’ve been collecting these ads for over a year. I have a strange fascination with them. They’re some sort of a DIY para-advertising network - part Village Voice back pages, part ol’ Gil, and part 2am infomercials. Some weird slice of print culture.

So far, I’ve posted 200 ads on the C, F, G, L, and R trains.

My ad is based on Deprince’s. I felt numerology made for an interesting topic to explore. I had thought about creating a voodoo character, but during my research I came across so many vodouists describing the practice’s religious significance and how its so widely misunderstood and mis-represented that I couldn’t in good faith contribute to that misunderstanding. However I had no such reservations about numerology ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I added a few “specialties” that hopefully reveal the ad’s hoax-y nature (e.g. barometric reading). But I did list a real number, a google voice account. I don’t receive incoming calls, but calls will go to Krillion’s voicemail, so we’ll see what happens next.