What can you add to $128.74 worth of “insignificant” objects to make them worth $3,612.51? Turns out a story can make all the difference.
In the interview aired on NPR on Dec. 20th, Guy Roz shared details of the Significant Object Project:
So here’s how it works. They (Joshua Glenn and his collaborators) buy a knick-knack at a thrift store and match it with an author from big names like William Gibson to up-and-comers. The writer invents a story about the object, which then gets posted for sale on eBay. Glenn and Walker are trying to see whether adding a story raises the object’s price.
At the time of this posting, this "Just Married Cup's" bid stood at $81.
Some items enjoy a 2,706% increase in value based upon the stories that accompany them.
According to techdirt.com,
…some stories seem better than others at increasing the auction bids, but points out that: “If Rosenfeld’s success is any indication, these authors may actually get paid more for short fiction on eBay than they would at most publications.”
This could be an interesting new income stream for writers….
What an odd, but intriguing idea. Why not???
I love this idea and found an visual artist last year doing something similar. Ester Coombs draws on old china and sometimes works with fiction writers to create a story that goes with the china and illustrates on it. Her blog has several examples.
http://esthercoombs.blogspot.com/2009/10/illustrated-fiction-post.html
Whoops. Here’s why not: I just can’t condone this. I love the idea in a fiction setting, of course. Stories+ objects = power/meaning/value etc. I am a former curator, trust me, I get it.
But to make up a history/story of an item on Ebay is really falsifying its provenance and unfair to the buyer. Hey, I know we writers can use the money, but this is crossing a line.
I love this idea and found an visual artist last year doing something similar. Ester Coombs draws on old china and sometimes works with fiction writers to create a story that goes with the china and illustrates on it. Her blog has several examples.
http://esthercoombs.blogspot.com/2009/10/illustrated-fiction-post.html
What an odd, but intriguing idea. Why not???
Whoops. Here’s why not: I just can’t condone this. I love the idea in a fiction setting, of course. Stories+ objects = power/meaning/value etc. I am a former curator, trust me, I get it.
But to make up a history/story of an item on Ebay is really falsifying its provenance and unfair to the buyer. Hey, I know we writers can use the money, but this is crossing a line.
Just to clarify, I’m pretty sure it was clear to buyers that this wasn’t the actual story of the object but a writer’s creation of the story for the object. So the buyer gets the object and a one-of-a-kind piece of fiction inspired by the object. Not necessarily something I have disposable income for, but… people have spent their money on stranger things. Especially if the story is written by a well-known author, I can see its value as a work of art.