I was a late adopter to the Internet, but finally jumped on board in the late 1990s to make money selling collectibles on eBay.
At the same time being part of the first PICA TBA festival exposed me to the work of performance art, and immediately knew I wanted to make a show about eBay.
Erin Boberg Doughton bravely programmed the show despite the fact that it was just a vague idea.
After months of work that included a two week residency at Caldera, I decided to make the show a kind of get rich quick scheme seminar and developed it with my partner Susan Beal who performed with me.
The show was meant to feel like a con or get rich scheme, but was actually 97% true. So audiences weren’t quite sure what was real and what wasn’t. Including 5 auctions timed to end one minute apart which the audience watched get bid up in the closing seconds near the end of the show.
At the same time being part of the first PICA TBA festival exposed me to the work of performance art, and immediately knew I wanted to make a show about eBay.
Erin Boberg Doughton bravely programmed the show despite the fact that it was just a vague idea.
After months of work that included a two week residency at Caldera, I decided to make the show a kind of get rich quick scheme seminar and developed it with my partner Susan Beal who performed with me.
The show was meant to feel like a con or get rich scheme, but was actually 97% true. So audiences weren’t quite sure what was real and what wasn’t. Including 5 auctions timed to end one minute apart which the audience watched get bid up in the closing seconds near the end of the show.
One of my favorite compliments about the show came from Deborah Hay who said she loved how it taught the audience something. And indeed after every show there was a line of people waiting to buy and get a signed copy of the AC Dickson eBay PowerSeller Guide.
British curators especially seemed to like how American the show was, so we were able to travel with the show for a few years. The show was also seen by a creative director at Wieden+Kennedy who hired me for a project which led to my first full-time job and a second career in advertising.
Performances:
PICA TBA festival - Portland, OR
Tramway - Glasgow, Scotland
Nottdance Festival - Nottingham, England
Reed Arts Week - Portland, OR
Arnolfini - Bristol, England
Custard Factory - Birmingham, England
Highways - Los Angeles, CA
Noorderzon Festival - Groningen, Holland
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria - Victoria, BC
EFA Project Space - New York, NY
British curators especially seemed to like how American the show was, so we were able to travel with the show for a few years. The show was also seen by a creative director at Wieden+Kennedy who hired me for a project which led to my first full-time job and a second career in advertising.
Performances:
PICA TBA festival - Portland, OR
Tramway - Glasgow, Scotland
Nottdance Festival - Nottingham, England
Reed Arts Week - Portland, OR
Arnolfini - Bristol, England
Custard Factory - Birmingham, England
Highways - Los Angeles, CA
Noorderzon Festival - Groningen, Holland
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria - Victoria, BC
EFA Project Space - New York, NY
