| Timothy Gaewsky |
| Directive Ventures |
| The objective of this project was to orchestrate unexpected ventures for individuals within public or work environments in order to disrupt expected routines within that environment and to provide a memorable experience for the participants. I anonymously left written directives for the participants, which took them on a venture to various sites where they had to look for clues, collect objects and decipher cryptic messages. A gift was left at the last location for the participants as a reward for completing the venture. I remained anonymous and the people I chose to participate were strangers to me. They were unaware who left the notes, the reason why or that they were participating in an art project. It was leftup to them to decide whether or not to participate and complete the venture. |
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| Colorbok, 10.24.05 |
| On Sunday, October 23, my ex-wife snuck me into the building where she works. The purpose of this covert operation was to stage five Directive Ventures. After a long conversation about her co-workers I decided to have Errin, Jake, Shannon, Beth and Melissa be my unsuspecting participants. For each of their ventures I wrote a series of cryptic directives on post-it notes and placed them around the office. I positioned the first set of directives around the participants’ workspaces so that they would find them Monday morning. I then discreetly concealed audio recorders around the department. On Monday, I had my wife wear a recorder to capture the participant’s reactions. As I had anticipated, the participants became suspicious and uneasy upon finding the notes. However, their anxieties slightly subsided when it became known that there were others who received similar notes. |
| Beth |
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- Ask Janelle for the Time |
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- Scratch and Sniff the Flower on the Refrigerator |
- Examine What is in SpongeBob's Drawers |
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| Beth, who was the first participant to begin her venture, was also the most freaked out by the note. She went around the office asking her co-workers, “have you seen Sponge Bob’s drawers?” Beth’s extensive search for Sponge Bob’s drawers motivated the interest of Errin, Jake and Shannon in continuing their ventures. Jake managed to find his directives but hesitantly and perhaps even embarrassingly paused when his last venture told him to “get on your hands and knees under Kristy’s desk and look for hole.” Kristy is Jake’s direct supervisor. She decided to go under her own desk and did, in fact, find her hole. Melissa, upon finding her first note, belligerently exclaimed, “No post-it note is going to tell me what to do!” Although Melissa was very pissed off and stubborn about participating, she fanatically hunted down her gift once she saw what Jake and Beth found. When she completed her venture she excitedly proclaimed that her gift was “the most perfect walrus.” |
| Errin |
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- Make Yourself Coffee - Then Go Towards the Monster Mullet - Find Directives |
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- Go to Scrap Room - Tidy Up Board - "E" Is For Errin |
- Say "Hello" to Kitty - Then Look Up |
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| The office experienced an intense frenzy of insecurity and paranoia once the ventures were completed. Accusations began to spread around the office as to who the culprit was when the perpetrator wasn’t revealed. Errin and Betty tried to compare people’s handwriting with the writing on the notes. The participants named their supervisor, Mary Beth, as the culprit. Errin went out to her car and snatched documents with Mary Beth’s handwriting. Errin then compared Mary Beth’s handwriting to the writing on her note. When Mary Beth’s handwriting didn’t match, Errin then accused Jen Malley, Head of Human Resources, of conspiring to distract her from doing her job thereby giving her a reason to fire Errin. There were also feelings of envy in those who weren’t privileged as the participants proudly displayed their gifts in prominent places in their workspace. Betty, who assisted Errin with her venture, pathetically asked, “why didn’t I get a note?” |
| Jake |
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Directives: - Go To Photo Album Room - Fix Paper Jam in LTR Drawer - Follow Instructions |
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- Head Towards the Blue Clouds - Find Green Vase for Further Instructions |
- Find The Floating Pumpkin - Reach In Pumkin Butt - Follow Instructions |
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- Get on Hnads and Knees Under Kristy's Desk - Look For Hole |
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| Shannon |
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- Go To Meeting Room - Find teh "Just Because" Perfect Cards - Follow Instructions |
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- Grab And Wear Betty's Smile |
- Open Betty's White Tin Box |
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| Melissa |
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- Wash Hands - Go To Purple Side - Squeeze The Afflac Duck Three Times - Follows Its Instructions |
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- Go To CD Rack Under the Floating Pumpkin - Find "2 GRRRLS" CD - Follow Instructions |
- Ask Janet For Her Box of Tissues |
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- Go to Jen's Desk and Open Her Exco Tin |
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| Although Errin, Jake, Shannon, Beth and Melissa were very apprehensive and suspicious of the instructions, some of them even belligerent, they still followed the instructions and completed their venture. According to my ex-wife, there seemed to be a sense of relief when they realized that there wasn’t any real threat but rather a stuffed animal at the end. Towards the end of the day the participants and others caught up in the spectacle were able to laugh and enjoy the experience. Conversations persist to this day as to who the mysterious culprit is. Errin continues to believe that she was being set up. |
| The images below are shots of the installation of this project from my MFA thesis exhibition at the Wood Gallery, Montpelier, VT |
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All material on this site is © Timothy Gaewsky 2001-2008, All Rights Reserved |