Performance Art of Economics

I had an idea for a performance art piece. Six individuals stand in a circle facing inward about an arm's length apart from one another. Four of them hold objects, let's say a banana, a hair brush, an iPhone, and a roll of toilet paper. Two others hold money, a dollar bill held by each of them. For an indeterminate amount of time, the six simply stand there. Then a seventh person walks from off-stage and says "I authorize you to exchange money for goods" before walking back. The individuals with money turn to their right to give their respective dollar bills in exchange for what the other person is holding (the two individuals with money do not stand next to one another). After that exchange the individuals who now hold the money turn to their right and exchange their respective dollars for the goods of the other two individuals next to them. And on and on this goes. The seventh person walks back up to the group and says, "Make the exchanges faster" before again walking away. The six participants begin moving twice as fast to complete their exchanges. Soon, the seventh person runs back and yells, "Faster!" and then runs off. The six move even faster. The seventh runs back in a panic and screams, "Go continuously faster every moment!"

The six do this ... until one of them drops one of the goods and falls out of the "market." The person who drops the item does not pick it up and when the exchange comes her way she is skipped by the other participants. The others keep moving faster and faster until another drops his or her goods. Then another. Finally, the last good is dropped. The only thing left is the two individuals holding the money and they simply exchange the dollars with each other over and over again. The seventh person comes back and walks up to the two individuals and says "Give me those dollars." The two hand it to the seventh. The seventh pockets the money and walks away. The other six individuals look around at one another with a sense of confusion and fright.

Eventually, though, they start smiling at one another and they pick up the items on the ground. They share the banana, each taking a bite, one brushes the hair of another before passing the brush to comb the hair of yet another. They all nod at the toilet paper and one picks it up and sneaks off stage for a minute before returning, the roll somewhat smaller. Then they all look at the iPhone, look at one another, then back at the iPhone. They shrug and walk away from it. Two of them hold hands and kiss, another two hug, and the other two stare affectionately into one another's eyes. Intermittently, they each start interacting with the whole, smiling, waving, laughing, whistling, and singing.

End