You or Me

2013
interactive installation
dimensions variable

You or Me was an interactive installation that involved a functioning carnival dunk tank. A dunk tank is a typical carnival game where a person sits on a platform suspended above a tank of water, while players take turns throwing balls at an adjacent target, potentially triggering the sudden release of the person into the water. Dunk tanks are typically used at community fundraising events, like church or school carnivals, where people pay money for a chance to dunk an authority figure like a preacher or principal.

However, instead of requiring people to pay money for the chance to dunk a stranger, I did not charge money, nor did I designate a “dunkee.” My rules simply stated that each player must have a person who is willing to sit in the dunk tank for them and potentially be submerged in water. Capitalizing upon the spectacle associated with carnivals, this piece twists together elements of competition, self-sacrifice, sympathy, anticipation, and physical shock.