A few pictures of the Foosball Table
March 29, 2008
About the Foosball Tounaments and Fan Shop
March 28, 2008
I have been invited to be part of the art exhibition, “Bread & Soccer” at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York City that begins May 28th and runs through the end of Augues. A foosball table created by Frank Scheiderbauer and myself is the center-piece of my project. The table, or better, a rolling flight-case that unfolds to become a foosball table, has the dimensions of a professional Austrian table and can be used as one. Our first table, built in 1994, traveled around Austria bringing together soccer stars, their fans, artists, and the “foosball fans”.
I am interested in all of these groups of people, and the social interaction between these different groups is one of my main interests. I am also very interested in juxtaposing and co-mingling the atmosphere of a soccer game with that of an art gallery. As in an actual sporting event, an announcer will provide a play-by-play for each tournament match as well as rev up the crowd. The setting will be the Austrian Cultural Forum NYC, where members of the New York Red Bulls will play against lucky members of the crowd. The tournament will be treated like a big sports event, and will lead into an after-party with a DJ and drinks.
We expect there to be three tournaments throughout the show.
Requirements during the tournaments includes:
- 2 extra tables
- Start around 7pm - late
- Entertainer/Sports ModeratorMusic/DJ
- Beer and Wine has to be available
- Trophies – Gold, Silver and Bronze (Sculptured by me)
To start a buzz about the tournaments at the Austrian Cultural Forum NYC I will show up with the flight-case cum foosball table in various places around New York City. I will begin stages these public tournaments this spring, and plan to show-up in places such as Union Square, Williamsburg, Prospect Park, Central Park, just before the beginning of NY Red Bull Games in the parking lot of the Giants Stadium, in the subway, etc. I will also have a tournament once each week in my gallery in Brooklyn.
This blog will be used to promote these events, as well as to feature the voices and ideas for the entire exhibition.
FAN SHOP
To stimulate public participation I will also create fan-wear to imitate a “non-defined“ team. The items will be simple, interesting, and colorful - T-Shirts, Shopping Bags, Boxer shorts, scarves, etc. These items will be available at the Austrian Cultural Forum for exchange only, none of it available for sale. Exchanged items that are collected over the course of the exhibition will become part of the fan shop . This action will serve to individualize the masses. Participants will have to tell their own personal stories as part of the process of exchanging their belongings. It will also serve to create another level of communication.
By “non-defined” I mean that the team will not be given a name, but instead, a branded identity. In this way, participants can be incorporated into the fan-structure of a branded team. What team do they belong to? Is it just a team against a team, in this case the Red Bulls?
The exchange system will open up new possibilities to experiment with the non-defined fans and their fan-wear. It will be as simple as a goods exchange was centuries ago, when sports in this organized form originated. Sports, and in particular Soccer, has grown since then, drawing record masses worldwide to games in demonstrations of unity and excitement; but also disappointment and hate.
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