Burn a Million Quid - K Foundation
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- ethanfink
Would you burn a Million Quid (Dollars, Pesos, Euros, anything) for arts sake?
From wikipedia:
"K Foundation Burn a Million Quid was an action that took place on 23 August 1994, in which the K Foundation (an art duo consisting of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty) burnt one million pounds sterling in cash on the Scottish island of Jura. This money represented the bulk of the K Foundation's funds, earned by Drummond and Cauty as The KLF, one of the United Kingdom's most successful pop groups of the early 1990s. The duo have never fully explained their motivations for the burning.The incineration was recorded on a Hi-8 video camera by K Foundation collaborator Gimpo. In August 1995, the film—Watch the K Foundation Burn a Million Quid[1]—was toured around the UK, with Drummond and Cauty engaging each audience in debate about the burning and its meaning. In November 1995, the duo pledged to dissolve the K Foundation and to refrain from public discussion of the burning for a period of 23 years.
A book—K Foundation Burn A Million Quid, edited and compiled by collaborator Chris Brook—was published by ellipsis Books in 1997, compiling stills from the film, accounts of events and viewer reactions. The book also contains an image of a single house brick that was manufactured from the fire's ashes."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K_F…
Part of the documentary:
- set0
answer: no.
- stem0
Only if I was a billionaire...
- Not_Just_Another0
I didn't even watch the video.
What a bunch of cocks.
- neue75_bold0
I think it's brilliant.. I'd do it, but would amass a load of homeless people first and burn it in front of them and then laugh as they burnt there dirty hands whilst trying to grab some of the burning money...
- theirneue75_bold
- Oh my, well I think you would enjoy the "bum fights" films...ethanfink
- and dose them in petrol for round 2mistermik
- Mike, we have a deal. See you in Copenhagen. I'll wear glovesAnders
- mistermik0
I would deface some 50 pence pieces.
All relative.
- NotByHand0
I think it's only fair. KLF was horrendous, and by no means should have been that lucrative. In fact, I can think of a lot of other people that aught to burn the majority of their undeserved income (me included).
- NotByHand0
I think it's only fair. KLF was horrendous, and by no means should have been that lucrative. In fact, I can think of a lot of other people that aught to burn the majority of their undeserved income (me included).
- stem0
Justified, but ancient...
- It is, but when is it more outrageous than during these economic times.ethanfink
- I think you missed the reference..neue75_bold
- OMG, just found the song: http://www.youtube.c… its horrible...ethanfink
- erikjonsson0
yeah ancient history how did this resurface? =)
- lowimpakt0
did anyone verify that the cash was actually burned?
- I did.mikotondria3
- Supposedly, they took it to someone who verified it... It's in the documentary.ethanfink
- mistermik0
yes and yes
- mikotondria30
The one with the longer hair just reminds me of so many scruffy drug-dealing traveller types that seemed to appear out of nowhere from about 93 onwards. They seemed to consistently go out of their way to do things like put their big army surplus boots on your coffee table, in the full knowledge that noone else was doing it, in a vein attempt to appear to be more rebellious than their middle-class backgrounds would decree, sneer and snark at anything other than their own particular brand of angry technoid parties, put too much hash into poorly rolled joints which would blim your couch and carpets, and generally drone on and on around topics of illegality and ultimately futile anti-capitalistic tactics surrounding dreary traveller party set ups, anarchist issues and a seemingly unending list of people with only one name, such as Puffin, Odey, Malik or Skart and their relative abilities to score weed or manufacture acid in the back of an unroadworthy coach.
They were, to a man, unemployable, ultimately dull and futureless people who contributed little to the dance scene then, or now, and I never what happened to any of them, but am fairly certain a lot of them still have the same coats and haircuts, and still smell.
- kezza_20
This single act is why I went to Art school.
Blew me away when I was 16
Art.
From Wiki:
A film of the event - Watch the K Foundation Burn a Million Quid - was taken on tour, with Drummond and Cauty discussing the incineration with members of the public after each screening. In 2004 Drummond admitted to the BBC that he now regretted burning the money.[33] "It's a hard one to explain to your kids and it doesn't get any easier. I wish I could explain why I did it so people would understand."[34] Rumor has it that the £1 million was "bought' from the Royal Mint - and was to be incinerated anyway (as notes that have become too fragile to remain in circulation usually are). It is reported that the £1 million actually cost the KLF £40,000 - the publicity generated by the "stunt" was well worth the financial outlay.[citation needed] However this seems unlikely; Banknotes deemed for destruction have to suffer that fate at the Mint, they cannot be sold. Equally, when the ashes of the notes were sent to the Bank of England for analysis so it could be confirmed they were the remains of £1 million in £50 notes, the Bank refused to touch them as they could not believe anyone in the public domain would willingly destroy their banknotes. The K-Foundation had to use an independent analysis company to confirm they were the remains as claimed.
- kezza_20
Oh and by the way they are both still active in the arts.
I love their K foundation prize for the shittest piece of art for the year. Often awarded to a Turner prize nominee. Theirs is worth more than the Turner prize.
- I bet you could dream up a wacky promotional tie-in for that prize on behalf of some big company right?max_prophet
- bwahaha..neue75_bold
- I probably havekezza_2
- yeah + + +Anders
- 23kon0
I did my dissertation at Art College on the creative exploits of the KLF so know their antics inside out.
My dissertation was called "FUCK THE DISSERTATION"
(a play on their 'fuck the millennium' single that was out at the time)
And probably the reason my grade was a 2:1 and not a First overall, my dissertation took the mark down. lol.Anyway, YES they did burn a million pound.
But days later £2,000,000 appeared in their bank account.
A sponsored art stunt!Feck your banksy and tracy emins etc - artists who think they are "working" the media. The KLF in my opinion was the originals who took it further than the likes of Warhol etc, taking the piss out of the media and working it completely to their advantage to get press coverage, number one singles and TV airplay.
Big big big heroes of mine. - musically too.
- 5timuli0
This was always my favourite track/remix of theirs.
- Dancer0
I remember watchng this at art college (like everyone else). Eover 100 students were captivated. Was it not to do with an Anti-art movemnet questioning the value of it?
Did they not then nail £1,000,000 to a wall?
- Yeah. K-Foundation. Still going I believe. They sold £10,000.00 nailed to a cross for £10,000.00 I think.Horp