Dugout (Gutterball)
dimensions variable
mixed media
Pasadena, CA
2008
Two powder-coated steel dugouts were crafted and installed atop a storm drainage basin. A preexisting drainage marker tower within the basin was repurposed with net baskets upon each tier of the tower. A meandering chalk line was then drawn through the entire site creating a wavering bisecting boundary. A hole was dug at the center of the site. A small box was placed inside the hole, which was then covered completely with dirt.
On the day of December 8th, 2008 a group of art participants arrived at the site ostensibly to merely view an artwork. Surprise: the group was divided into two teams and informed to the rules of an invented game called gutterball. Each team selected one defensive player to guard against (or distract) two offensive players from the opposing team. The meandering chalk line provided the perimeter for the defensive player to navigate, and the rules specified staying within this perimeter. The offensive players would then have the objective of passing a ball through the net baskets, while the defensive player would have the objective of preventing this from happening. Getting a ball into the lower tier basket would count as 1 point, while the upper tier basket would count as 2 points. Each team would alternate defense and offense on each round of play.
To complicate the dynamics of the game a captain was selected from each team and given special knowledge.The captains were informed that both teams would also be receiving subjective style points. These points would be awarded for how players moved or conducted themselves within the field of play and were to be unrelated to the points made strictly through the baskets. It would be each captain's task to keep a record of style points that would be awarded to the opposing team at the end of the game. This information given to each captain was not to be shared with the rest of the players until one team was declared the winner. The game of gutterball was then played. Amplified by the antics of the team captains, a significant amount of 'stylish' dynamic activity occurred.
At the culmination of the game the small box was unearthed and handed to the winning team. Player's had not been previously aware that a prize was at stake. Inside the small box: a crisp $100 bill. During an ensuing heated debate between the winning and losing players it was eventually decided that the best way to utilize the prize money was to purchase a keg of beer for all to enjoy.
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photo credit: Kevin Hanley