During the week or so after any given performance, a couple people would invariably come up to me, apologize for missing it & very enthusiastically state their intention to come to the next one. Always lacking for an audience for my work, I decided to stir the pot a little by abusing this tendency for people to be more enthusiastic when they missed something than when they didn’t.

I sent the Appointment poster out the afternoon before the performance, guaranteeing that no one would get it in time to attend & thus stoking their interest. I went to the designated place at the designated time & made a performance for no audience. When people came up to me expressing their regret for not making it, I told them the performance had been “great.”

I then sent out the Disappointment poster in plenty of time for people to be able to attend this sequel performance two weeks later. About 12-15 people came to the deserted corner by the train tracks at 10:30pm. I stayed home, in bed, reading a book. My spy, Michelle Rollman, reported that Jean-Louis Pearson, the director of Show-N-Tell Gallery, ran around the entire neighborhood, peering into dumpsters & muttering “I know he’s here somewhere.” After 30 or 40 minutes, Aaron Noble said “I don’t think he’s coming.” To which Nelson replied “Ohhhh. I’ve been to performances like this before.”


It seemed too bothersome to try to collect the 150 or so paintings of mine which were in private collections, find a place to exhibit them etc., but I wanted to have the feeling that all those collectors were taking a few minutes at an appointed time to reacquaint themselves with the paintings they owned. I guess I needed some affirmation. I have no idea if anyone actually did as requested. I am a sucker for shelving. I love having lots of it & I enjoy building it. So this photo of Conlon Noncarrow in his studio was like hardcore shelf-porn to me.