Conversation with an Auctioneer

Posted November 2007 8:00AM by Staff

"Conversation with an Auctioneer" was developed for the "Humane Acts of Slaughter" event curated by Jordan Essoe to inaugurate "The Slaughterhouse" space in Healdsburg, CA (www.slaughterhousespace.com).

The artists contracted a live auctioneer who was willing to lend his time and endure a talk-show-like interview with the artists.  Prefacing their performance with an introductory lecture (delivered by Fletcher) about the death of live auctions in the wake of electronic bidding, the artists used their time with the auctioneer to investigate some of the techniques used by live auctioneers to negotiate price.

They explored several distinctive facets of communicating with an audience (fast-talking or "chanting", hand gestures, etc.), and also delved into the "efficiency" of this particular type of market. The climax of the interview came when Reichert posed the question, "how does one arrive at an appropriate starting bid for a living thing?"

 

The performance ended with the Auctioneer, Marty Vendrick (of Santa Rosa, CA) attempting to teach Reichert (a non-native speaker of English) how to fast-talk.