Barbie dolls are no strangers to controversy. Still, it is unusual when they attract plainclothes policemen and workers from Streets and Sanitation, as the Barbies hanging out in front of 1874 N. Bissell are doing. Whatever are those naughty Barbies up to?
“One of the neighbors had been bitching about dogs peeing on his plants, and all this stuff just started to–hmmm–ruminate,” says Stasewich. The second installation was born, with more small explanatory signs. The crime scene now included a life-size statuesque female mannequin in a black velvet suit walking a small stuffed beagle.
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“I wanted something to be a counterpoint to Timm cutting the flowers, so I figured little Barbie dolls on the other side of the gladiolas,” says Stasewich. “And you can imagine as he’s cutting through the flowers some of the little heads start flying.” Imagined, but not actually staged? He hesitates. “Nnnnnot yet. Eventually I think we will, because we need little heads flying for certain other reasons.” He laughs mysteriously. “Heh, heh, heh.”
Stasewich wanted to give the Barbies a purpose in life, so he dug them a tiny pool, lined it with plaster, and let the Barbies lounge about in bathing suits. That week the improvised pool leaked horribly, prompting the sign No Swimming. Closed for Repairs. The Barbie dolls disappeared.
The strip show, says Stasewich, “was very static.” Elvis, Ken, and Ken/Steven all stood on a small stage perched on a rock above the Barbie pool. Elvis stood in the center with outstretched arms in simple blue bikini briefs; Ken was bare chested in black leather pants, unzipped and falling off to expose white briefs; Ken/Steven was also bare chested, in blue jeans with black cowboy leggings, a white cowboy hat, and a white bolo tie. Three muscle-bound doll bouncers stood around menacingly–Vee Jitsu Samurai Warriors from the boys’ toy section.
“Once the bouncers go to break up the fight, then we end up with the Barbie dolls realizing the bouncers aren’t there to protect the guys on the stage. So they start rushing the stage and climbing up the rocks.”
“The way they started out was by saying, ‘We’ve been cruising around the last couple of days trying to figure out what’s going on here. So why don’t you tell us.’ And I said, ‘Well, it’s my art-display thing–it’s an installation piece.’ They say, ‘What is that in layman’s terms?’ And they’re poking around, going, ‘Hmmm, hmmm. What’s this? What’s this?’ It was just really creepy. Trying to be as intimidating as possible.
