_A Tool to Deceive and Slaughter_ is an eight-inch (10 cm) high-gloss black cube. Inside the hollow box is a small micro-controller and an Ethernet adapter. Like a pair of umbilical cords, the power cord and Ethernet cable, trail out of the box to the wall. Every ten minutes, a computer program running on the micro-controller contacts another program running on an Internet server, which checks whether it has an active auction on eBay. If there is no auction, then it creates a new listing for itself. As a result, the piece is constantly for sale. If it is purchased, the contract (which is included in the auction listing) stipulates that the work is to be packed up and transferred to the new owner, who then, also according to the contract, must connect it to the Internet. The sculpture automatically puts itself up for sale again and the cycle repeats.

Generally speaking, when a work of art is purchased it is for a collection. Art collections are often seen as investments. As with most investments, it is hoped that it will accrue value and may later be sold at a chosen time for a profit. _A Tool to Deceive and Slaughter_ dematerializes the status of the art work as collectable. It undermines the ability of the collector to retain ownership of the piece for an indefinite period of time. Regardless of whose collection it is in, whether a private party or public institution, it is always for sale, and anyone can buy it at any time via the Internet.

Links: http://atooltodeceiveandslaughter.com/

Caleb Larsen (US) received his MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2009 and his BFA in Painting from Western Michigan University in 2003. Larsen’s recent work has been exhibited at Ars Combinatoria in Orlando, the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, Detroit International Video Festival, Flux Factory in New York, the 911 Media Arts Center in Seattle and the Tjaden Gallery at Cornell University.