One of the super spooky, cancer-causing, hormone-disrupting forever chemicals we sprayed all over our kids' clothes and carpet for 40+ years as Scotchguard!
Inflation
(Halloween, 2023)
After 15 years of monetary and fiscal policies overheating the economy combined with tariffs, COVID and other supply-side constrictions, inflation became the scariest thing I could imagine in the year 2023.
AI Generated "Halloween Costume"
(Halloween, 2022)
I asked an artificial intelligence image generator what a "Halloween Costume" looks like and this was the result. #AI #LifeImitatesArtificialIntelligenceImitatesArt #uncannyvalley
Room on the Broom
(Halloween, 2021)
A witch and a cat and a dog and a frog fell into a bog!
Movers and Shakers
(Halloween, 2020)
After deciding to move out West in 2017, it never quite seemed like the right time to uproot 20 years of community in NYC. 2020 changed that when our 2nd kid was born and then we found ourselves in the epicenter of the global COVID pandemic. After a couple months of shell shock being immersed in 24 hour ambulance sirens, closed playgrounds and riding the subway filled with aprehension having a toddler and newborn in a pandemic that outpaced science, we realized it was GO TIME! We sold our apartment, bought a house over facebook video, bought a car and a camper and packed up our lives to get across the continent in a pandemic and earned our title as "Movers & Shakers".
Phoenix Rising from the Ashes
(Halloween, 2019)
Avocado
(Halloween, 2018)
Just a Pawn
Wrench in the System
(Halloween, 2016)
Power
(Halloween, 2015)
"The measure of a man is what he does with power." -Plato
"Power-lust is a weed that grows only in the vacant lots of an abandoned mind." -Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
"Power to the people, right on!" -John Lennon
Power to Bike Lanes!
"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." -Alice Walker
"With great power there must also come great responsibility!" -Stan Lee
"Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac." -Henry Kissinger
Google Omni View
A future Google product
(Halloween, 2014)
Omni View with my favorite Biological Clock
It's kind of like Google Street View, but EVERYWHERE!
As a rumination on where privacy and digital ownership rights are heading in the 21st century, it was interesting to see people's responses ranging from "you can't take a picture of me without my permission!" to "haha, spooky!" to "Woooo, it's Google!" When someone got aggro about violating their privacy, I would typically point out the 5 or 6 six other surveillance cameras in the space that were recording our conversation about privacy.
Once per minute the cameras took a synchronized 360 degree picture.
Which stitched together to make great videos of Omni View's Halloween exploits!
Clone
(Halloween, 2013)
Celebrating the year we cloned human embryos and Banksy did a residency in NYC
Trickle Down Economics
(Halloween, 2011)
After the biggest transfer of wealth from the hands of the poor to the make the filthy rich even filthier
(a.k.a. the housing crisis that lead to the financial meltdown of 2008), it was high time to call out the
fiction that has misguided our politics for over 30 years. #OccupyWallstreet
Caution and Daring... a Great
Union
(Wedding and Halloween, 2009)
On September 5th, 2009, Erica & I got hitched. To capture our
feelings for each other and about our union, we held a costume
wedding in Yachats, Oregon, where all our guests/participants were
to come dressed as a Great Union. The expressions of creativity
and love were overwhelming. You can see lots more pictures and our
vows etc. on our
Greatest of Unions website.
Change... it just makes cents
(Halloween, 2008)
In the midst of the 2008 presidential
election and the greatest economic crisis since the Great
Depression, it was time for Change. With designs outfitted from the
Roman Empire, a broom for sweeping change, and a golden
parachute on my back, I was set to tackle even the greatest
economic challenges (at least those requiring no more than $46.36 in
quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies).
The best and worst part of Change is that it's
constantly changing. Coins were always coming loose from duct
tape and glue and clattering down the sidewalk (note the missing
coins). After each outing I had to spend some effort to fix it up to
its intended glory. Turns out Change is not something you can vote
for once in a spirited moment and walk away from, but something that
you have to nurture and constantly maintain lest all the promises
of "Change we can believe in" will fall to pieces before your very eyes.
Friends heading to Decom.
The Contradiction of the Flesh.
(Halloween, 2007)
The heart beats with my EKG. The crown is made from razor wire and
el-wire.
The Devil's Weed
(Halloween, 2006)
For Halloween 2006, I dressed up as a giant marijuana
cigarette and called myself "The Devil's Weed". Below you can see the
Satanic den of self-reflection that lies behind the gateway of The
Devil's Weed. Most people got the irony. Some percentage said
something like "Weed's cool man, why you gotta be such a downer". A
LOT of people saw the pot leaf and wanted their picture with it,
regardless of whether they know what the word irony means. If I had a
dollar for every picture... Anyway, I made it onto the NYC NBC News!
UPDATE: The above logos are now available on t-shirts, stickers,
temporary tattoos and refrigerator magnets.
I spent most of my time handing out
pamphlets and spouting the eloquent rhetoric of Harry J. Anslinger
posted below.
Po' Green Trash of the Trailer-Ship Galaxy
(Splashdown, 2006)
Most humans have a
misconceived notion of aliens as having go-getter, Type A
personalities, that comb the far reaches of the universe for resources
and alternative life forms. But, the vast majority of aliens are a
much more modest crowd that appreciate the finer points of life, like NASSHIP races, beer and grilled meat. Conceived for the Burning Man Splashdown at Love in
NYC, September, 2006. We showed up 15 min after the costume contest
ended, but the organizer saw us before announcing the winner and
immediately awarded us the best costume and a $100 gift certificate to
a costume shop. It's tough to see in the picture because of the flash,
but our finger tips glowed red. Below is a sketch of our yet unmade flag for the
flag planting ceremony.
Lake of Fire and Brimstone
(One Night of Fire, 2006)
How will You be Judged when you gaze into your reflection in
The Lake of Fire and Brimstone? Will you see the longing of
your misspent youth? Will you be consumed by the trappings of your
own vanity? Will you see nothing but the empty hollows of your
soul?
Originally conceived for June 6, 2006, but after
significant searching, the only really promising venues were in LA
(come on NYC! this happens once a millenium and could have been
the Day of Doom!!). Found a good event later in the summer at
One Night of Fire.
Some good photos of the event on
flickr.
Merman
(Mermaid Parade, 2006)
My costume for the Coney Island Mermaid Parade 2006. The above picture was
taken by Luke Ratray.
Where is the G-spot?
a.k.a. the
Greatly Guarded Gem of the Genital Geography
(G-party, 2005)
Created for the G-party (summer 2005). Includes a fun party
game, "Pin the Penis on the G-spot" (pink velcro penises
included). Seen here at the PS1 summer warm-up concert series
Do you work for a drug, supplement or contraceptive company?
Spur-M, Viagra, Trojan, Horny Goat Weed? How much is advertising space
on the G-spot worth to your company? Reach out to party-goers looking
to improve their performance. Establish name recognition and PR with
the next generation. Penis shaped hand-outs with your company
logo/info.
Hummer-Penis
(Halloween, 2004)
How big is your vehicle? Halloween 2004 was the year
of the 7' hummer-penis. It shoots silly string out the tip and has a
blaring horn (and an obnoxious driver). Somewhere in the world there
is a movie of me leaving a Critical Mass party that the cops raided
(out of spite) and this NYC cop yelling "Get the hummer guy!" If you
have this movie please contact me. The hummer guy made a second
appearance at a peace rally (how big is your peace?) in Spring 2006
where he shook hands with Reverend Al Sharpton (anybody have a picture
of this?).
Gandalf the Gray
(Halloween, 2003)
Below Gandalf can be seen riding the PATH train into
NYC. You can see a movie of Gandalf casting a spell
here.
The reactions in New Jersey were kind of varied, from
"Yeah, father time!" to "Merlin, right?" and "Moses!", but the
strangest was a guy in Newark that leaned out of his car window and
yelled "Hey, you wanna gimme a blow job, you creature!"
Hoisted Burden
(Reed Thesis Parade, 1999)
The 1998-99 academic year was my senior year, and thus
my year to bear the thesis. Here I am carrying my Burden past
the piles of burning theses to make my offering to the Hauser gods so
that I may make my ascent. After the turbulent ascent I mingle
with my thesis advisor Dell, who inspects my bedraggled attire.
Butt-Rocker
(Halloween, 1998)
This is my "butt-rocker" costume from Halloween '98.
I was going for the trailer park living, Coors Light drinking,
Marlboro smoking, Payless shopping, mullet sporting, ripped
acid-washed jeans wearing, fake Oakley owning, "Free Bird" shouting,
AC-DC concert going, stuck in the mid-80's white trash look. I
knew what this looked like because I had butt-rocker tendencies in my
earlier youth. The most glorious moment in the costume was early
in the day on Halloween when I was shopping for a skull earring to put
on the final touch on the costume. In the process of picking out
an earring, I revealed to the clerk that it was indeed a costume.
As I was walking out of the store I heard the clerk whisper to a
customer, "It's a costume," at which time the customer let out an
audible sigh of relief. I won a $15 gift certificate to Powell's
book store in a costume contest.
(The hair isn't real)
