On March 17, 2013, between 7am and 3pm, Sophie Calle, Ryota Aoyagi, and Hiroshi Sugimoto set up three stands at the flea market at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.
Sophie’s display was composed of recently found objects having no sentimental value but accompanied by real personal stories linked to similar such objects. She sold 10 of them for the total value of 108,500 yen. 13 were unsold.
Sugimoto’s display was a collection of real semi-antiques and one of his photos, having sentimental value and accompanied by fake stories linked to those elements. He sold 4 of them for the total value of 67,000 yen. 12 were unsold.
Ryota displayed what he usually shows at flea markets: real antiques, or a real installation, or both, with their titles but no stories. He sold 9 of them for the total value of 740,000 yen. 10 were unsold.
In the middle of the day, an American guide passed by their three stands and said to his group of tourists: “No need to stop, this is worth nothing.”
Here are the unsold.