Stimulus Package
Andrew Norman Wilson and Todd Margolis
people, smart phones, software, flags, trowels, model rocket kit, UCSD library books
2008-09
Stimulus Package was developed for a symposium called “Something is Happening” at the University of California, San Diego in December of 2008.
I buried both a model rocket and a collection of alternative economic theory/anthropology books from the university library, separately, on campus. My collaborator and field guide Todd Margolis geo-tagged these objects into his smart-phone using a program he developed called Aura-Dust. This program was used to present and record information in a variety of mediums for the participants of each expedition. Throughout the duration of the piece, the audience was transformed from a group of passive observers/followers into a group of active participants. When they found the objects they were presented with a collective decision making process – what to do with the objects? The objects became devices for discussion and action.
The model rocket served to create discussion about the strong military presence with UC San Diego. It was launched in front of the engineering school.
The library books served to create discussion about the current economic crisis and the archaeology of knowledge. The participants decided to divide them up amongst themselves, and I had to contact each one of them so I could return the books to the library.
Audio-visual material from the recorded expeditions is now available on the Auradust website
