2008

This "ray gun," as Oldenburg calls it, hardly looks threatening. Its bloated shape, made out of flimsy papier–mâché, resembles a hairdryer as much as it does a weapon. It was made, however, in the spirit of assault, as a parody of artistic traditions and consumer culture. In the 1960s, this work was part of a cacophonous installation called The Street in the basement of Judson Memorial Church in lower Manhattan. The space was filled with an unruly assortment of cardboard and newspaper scraps, burlap objects covered in soot and black paint, and other materials that appeared destined for (if not taken from) the trash. Oldenburg performed in the space on several occasions and in one particularly memorable instance issued one million dollars of Ray Gun currency to audience members, which could be used for purchasing works from the installation.