Banana Republic Inc
2008
Performance/Installation
60 Basketballs various condition, singer sewing machine, stuff
Banana Republic Inc is a pejorative term for a small, often Latin American, Caribbean or African country that is politically unstable, dependent on limited agriculture, often ruled by a small, self- elected, wealthy and corrupt clique. In most cases one finds a government structure with a small leisure class on the top and a large, poorly educated and poorly paid working class of peons. Throughout the last years there has been a growing concern about child laborers and adult workers who are exploited in the sporting goods industry. Due to the low wage level in conventional trade, families are forced to make their children add to the family income and work in order to make ends meet. Sub-contractors in sweatshop fashion produce for nearly all the world-famous trademarked sport article brands. For that reason Banana republics are typically also highly prone to revolutions and coups.
Banana Republic Inc. is a counter-revolution/evolutionary performance act in witch the industrial product is pulled back to its rural roots. During a three-day production in the exhibition space I was cutting and sewing a large amount of traditional eight-panel basketballs into banana shapes.
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