Wager Slave. BLOCspace, Sheffield, 1st - 17th September 2006.
In Wager Slave, Black Dogs let the audience decide what the content of the exhibition will be. This was achieved through a complex yet methodical series of games, events and most importantly wagers, structured by Black Dogs to achieve total fun and engagement. At the opening event the attendees were encouraged to take advantage of various low cost services and entertainments provided by the six individual members of Black Dogs. Following this riotous funfair, all money gained was bet on a dog race at the nearby Owlerton racing stadium.
Each artist charged a small fee for their service, and each artist corresponded with a particular dog in the race, so it wasn't a question of whether we would win, but simply how much would be won.
The winnings were spent on an art object then displayed in the gallery for the remainder of the exhibition.
The art object attained with the winnings was dictated by its monetary value in a home shopping catalogue. The art object could therefore have ranged from a pack of AAA Batteries to a fully functioning chest freezer. In order to test the assumption that anything in the walls of a gallery is art, Black Dogs then tried to sell the object on an online auction site, the end of which coincided with the final day of the exhibition.
On this date the audience were once more invited back to the space to see the results of their art-gambling pay off, or not. The audience were enticed by the prospect of free booze all round if a sizeable profit was had - but took the risk of the dreaded "artist's talk" if the item failed to sell.
Jon Slight sold bags of (dog) biscuits, hand-baked by the artist. Despite the somewhat hesitant body language of this customer, the biscuits were hugely popular.
Dave Ronalds composed poems tailored to the demands of the customer.
Lawrence Molloy offered vistors the opportunity to stroke a borrowed dog in return for a small fee.
Daniel Carey offered participants the opportunity to recount their life stories. The average length of sitting was 20 minutes.
Andy Abbott created bespoke musical compositions based on criteria dictated by the visitor. See his artists page for more information.
Eleanor Johnson challenged all-comers to a best-of-three tournament on the classic Soviet headfuck, Tetris. She remained undefeated during the event.
Visitors examine the items on offer. The amount won at the dog track would be used to purchase the item in the corresponding price bracket.
The money obtained was then bet on a single dog race; all six dogs were backed by the amount raised by the corresponding artist. Exactly how much would be won was determined both by the odds on the dog and the amount the artist raised to bet. The winning amount came to £50 - which was used to purchase an Activity Voucher. The voucher offered a choice from 10 experiences, including: Paintball (for four), Lee Stafford Hair Makeover, Fun Poker Experience, Scuba Diving (for two), Floatation Therapy Experience, One Day Surfing, Personal Makeup Consultation, Karting, Family Ticket to Diggerland, and a Commemorative Football Book.
The voucher was then auctioned on Ebay. After a breathtaking bidding war, the item was sold for £18. Black Dogs received the following feedback - Excellent ebayer. Highly recommended!!!!!!!!!!
Armed with this confidence-boosting assessment of our abilities, the proceeds were risked on a game of Roulette - our luck held out and we amassed a total prize fund in the region of £40. A second event was held at BLOC, where this princely sum was squandered on booze.