Tender friend, multidisciplinary inventor and TL street tailor Michael Swaine is currently the artist in residence at the Luggage Store Annex — which is the space next to the Tenderloin National Forest where he offers free mending on the 15th of every month.
As part of his residency, which started on July 8th and runs through August 15th, he’s organizing a series of participatory events. He has named the first one, taking place tomorrow Saturday at noon, a Pawn Shop Parade. Note that this is not a chance for their local pawn shops to show off their broad selection of Nintendo Wii’s and guitars, but something else. Here’s the invitation he sent us:
We will meet at 509 ellis [the Tenderloin National Forest] and go by foot to 5 pawn shops nearby. Everyone should bring something to pawn. An object, something that you are willing to carry for several blocks, this is also a parade.
“Objects are concealed from our view not so much because they are out of the course of our visual ray as
because there is no intention of the mind and eye toward them.”- Henry David Thoreau“I never wanted material possessions. There is an old Greek saying that the wise man has nothing he
cannot carry in his hands. If you have something beautiful, you have to look out for it, so I would rather
give it away.“ –Paul Erdos
I don’t know about you, but I’ve actually never used a pawn shop so I’m very curious to participate. I still haven’t decided what I’ll bring (probably something I don’t care about loosing), but it should be fun.
Oh, and on July 30th Michael will also lead a Glue Making Walk (presumably not the sniffing type).
For more Tenderloin-centric events, check out our Tender Calendar. And if you know of one that isn’t there, email us.
2 Comments until now
A little confused over the love for this and vitriol for the “Homeless for a Day” bit (which I share). Folks don’t go to pawnshops on a good day, I would imagine. I don’t envy the desperate soul who’s unloading whatever valuables he has when the “parade” arrives for their ironic fun. Perhaps I’m misunderstanding.
hello william -my name is michael– I was the guy who organized the pawn shop parade… I see what you are saying and I hope with all of my heart the event didn’t come off with a weird feeling.. I didn’t want the event to be ironic…I do like funny names for events but… I have been doing a bunch of projects about objects and I have an article about ancient pawn shops(300 A.D.) on the silk road and how they were an early form of a bank. I did want to see how this transaction worked. I think what is sad or ironic is I brought my most valuable things and the owners of the pawn shop said they are not interested. I learned a lot and I think what our city needs more of, is participation. but I am thankful for your honest view of what I was trying to do,it is good to know that I might be saying something that is unintended — michael swaine