I did some crazy things last week, that had some very sane results today.
Working on a concept for this year�s [2005] anual report for mot (a division of the Ministery of Justice) a week ago, Niek [my internship companion] came up with the idea to use pictures of models of every day things that relate to money transfers (that might be suspicious, and therefor relevant to the mot), wrapped in various (scaled down and printed) money bills. This concept was based on my idea to show regular money, with a (highlighted) detail to communicate the fact that mot sees what is behind the money. (Terrorism, anyone?)
In order to be able to produce this kind of pictures, we needed various scaled down and printed money bills. Working in a studio with high quality printers; fast machines and a permanent internet connection, this was the easy part. However, we also needed models to wrap in. Thus, the next morning, I went shopping in town.
There I was, on Tuesday morning, 9 o�clock, wearing baggy street wear and a months worth of facial hair, shopping for toys.
First, I went to the Budget Shop. Not only did I know they are cheap, I also recalled seeing both toy guns as car models I could use, the last time I was there. I did find a nice model car, but no guns. I took the model car to the counter and asked the lady where the toy guns went. She explained they weren�t allowed to sell them anymore. I figured this meant they�d become illegal to sell, but she suggested I�d try at Bart Smith.
At Bart Smith,
I went to the cashier to ask whether they sold fake guns. She confirmed, provided directions, and I went to get one. When I returned, the cashier asked whether it was a present. I laughed � then went straight to my poker face and replied in all seriousness No.
She glanced at me as she put the toy in a plastic bag. I figured I was being a bit too hard on her and mentioned I was going to use it for photography. She seemed relieved.
Equiped with two plastic bags containing children toys, I went to the studio [Vorm Vijf]. The ceo [Fred] asked me what I brought with me: I explained I got some toys at the expense of the studio.
Niek seemed content with the objects, and thus I could start wrapping them in the money bills I had printed the day before, using lots of spray glue. This worked out pretty well. I wrapped the car in 500 euro bills, and the gun in us twenties. Now we needed a third object to wrap up: preferably something related to drugs or terrorism.
Niek came up with the idea of wrapping up Kinder Surprise eggs (in order to suggest cocaine balls), and so I went to the grocery store [Albert Heijn] to get some eggs. When I returned at the studio, I handed everybody an egg, and told them to eat it and return the surprise it encapsules to me.
That is exactly what they did, but not before putting together all the puzzle toys on my desk.
I put the toys they put together on my computer screen, and took the yellow capsules to wrap up in (printed) Colombian bills of 2,000 Pesos. This also seemed to work well � perhaps even better. I took the car; the gun; the capsules; some powdered sugar; and a digital camera, to the studio on the ground floor, in order to make some pictures.
I was very pleased with the first results:
I showed the last one to a certain somebody�whom I thought probably knows a bit more about powdered sugar
sugar than I do�via msn Messenger, and he approved. I then printed the three pictures, and showed them to Niek, who said they were very usefull.
The next week (today), Niek and I went to the office of mot in Zoetermeer, in order to present them the two concepts (one of Niek, and one of myself) for the anual report. They were very positive about both concepts, but the ceo had an issue with mine, being that it can be perceived as if crime pays. (He added to his statement that crime does pay, but that it�s not what they want to commnunicate.) Fair enough. They liked my images so much, though, they were immidiately thinking oft ways they could use them, and said they might come back to me on that.
ACJ