Legal Parking

performance/ 2000

The invitation card which imitates a parking violation ticket says "legal" parking instead of "ilegal". The gallery space turned to as if a secretive base for the guarding organization that protects parked cars on the street from police force. The members, after well coordinated practice training, go out to the streets to complete their mission. The mission is also necessary to keep the artwork (a video display showing policemen writing parking tickets and a figure looking at such video display are installed on top of a pick-up truck) on the street in front of the gallery. The pick-up truck is moved before the legally permitted 60-minute expires for the street parking, and is back to the same parking space after going around the corner a few times. This process is repeated again and again. The invitation card; the LED-bulletin-board counting the seconds to the next exercise; the uniforms and certificates of the members; the video display showing their activities are well calculated details of the exhibit that made this thrilling joke look serious (could even be a real business). It also dynamically linked the gallery, a fantastic space, and the reality in a familiar city. By the time the exhibit ends, the exhibit was already well known in the neighborhood (and by local police), and made certain success in reaching ordinary pedestrian who are not into art. It is a waste if his exhibit simply ends as a sarcastic and funny social joke. It will be expected to Masuyama, with his vitality, to explore further what sort of value (i.e. art) can be generated after reaching people.
(On BT/Bijutsu Techo, vol.52 no.785, April 2000, p. 174)

 

Invitation