The items in ART MACHINE include an artist’s underwear, actual miniature artworks, and limited edition products from G-Shock, however, a customer of ART MACHINE wishing to make a purchase can only choose from those at the front. As purchases are made, the options cycle forward revealing a new product becoming available that was previously unknown. There is are elements of chance and risk in the buying process because what can be seen in the front display of ART MACHINE may be a one off opportunity.
Ordinarily when art vending machine projects are carried out by smaller arts groups or communities, they can be seen as political acts commenting on the commercialisation of culture but ART MACHINE cannot make this argument as it is heavily supported by a business who has a commercial interest (G-Shock) and is using ART MACHINE as a platform to disseminate its own product and increase brand awareness. The crux of ART MACHINE is a result of commercial consumption becoming a leisure activity. The machine as object, is singular, an oddity or a sideshow, a fun and novel way of experiencing the 'buy'.
