The packaging isn't the most important part - it's just his value-add. The packaging makes that stuff viable as a collectable, but the real draw is the nostalgia value. For example he's selling "Opening Day at New Yankee Stadium" garbage, which could potentially mean a lot to a baseball fan.
Well I do hope this fad takes off. It is completely ridiculous of course, but the art world is full of ridiculous fads and this one actually has an useful side effect. Someone actually has to pick up trash from the streets to make the things.<p>This is way more commendable than say cutting cows in half or pickling sharks in formaldehyde (just to name another two ridiculous art fads).<p>So now that artists have more or less given up on making beautiful things they may as well clean up the streets.
Sorry, anyone who buys this garbage (<i>hah</i>) is a god damned idiot.<p><a href="http://www.lucitetombstones.com/acrylic_cube.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.lucitetombstones.com/acrylic_cube.htm</a><p>Knock yourself out. Tell people it's from NYC, they'll never be the wiser. Fuck, tell 'em it cost you $1000! If they're an idiot who would've bought this, they'll be even more impressed. And you can have the smug satisfaction of knowing that you are not mentally handicapped.
He argues that packaging is the most important part of a product. Somehow this relates to this other HN story about the esthetics of web applications. <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/readwritestart/2009/09/design-for-startups-the-aesthe.php" rel="nofollow">http://www.readwriteweb.com/readwritestart/2009/09/design-fo...</a> I agree packaging is important. If so we should be able to design a better package and outsell him. I might as well do this. Can anyone suggest interesting ideas to package NYC garbage? How about putting small spotlights inside the box to illuminate the garbage? Or using empty bottles as the box?