This Little Piggy Went To Market was part of CAPITALISM IS OVER! If You Want It, a series of interruptions/actions first launched in July 2010 that featured artists from around the world responding to the need for a fundamental shift in our approach to Capitalism and the negative impact it has on the environment, health, and wellbeing of all. 

Megan Wilson, This Little Piggy Went To Market, on the steps of 555 California San Francisco, offices of Goldman Sachs, performance, 2010

Response to Piggy

The response to Piggy was mostly very positive -- lots of thumbs up and giggles, lots of requests for photographs with Piggy, and occasionally a request to hug Piggy. The photos were especially successful as viral messages – Wilson knew that every picture taken with Piggy would be shared and provide a potential launching point for a deeper discussion. She also knew that regardless of the project’s impact on sparking dialogue, Piggy had provided an unexpected moment of delight for many folks who otherwise spend their days in a stressful and/or monotonous environment. 

Piggy’s collaborations with TWCDC (Together We Can Defeat Capitalism

Piggy also collaborated with TWCDC for several projects as part of CAPITALISM IS OVER! If You Want It, including a performance at SOMARTS and Pignapped: An Anti-Capitalist Adventure

This Little Piggy Went To Market …

This Little Piggy Went To Market was part of CAPITALISM IS OVER! If You Want It, a series of interruptions/actions first launched in July 2010 that featured artists from around the world responding to the need for a fundamental shift in our approach to Capitalism and the negative impact it has on the environment, health, and wellbeing of all. In July/August of 2010 Piggy could be found in San Francisco’s financial district every Tuesday and Thursday representing corporate America and handing out gifts for all.

Like the leaders of corporate America, Piggy’s role is that of a trickster. Bright pink, cuddly, and wearing a big grin, Piggy pushes a shopping cart filled with “gifts” and offers them in a gesture of kindness. However, in truth Piggy is doling out tokens of a more sinister intent: “Lies,” “Toxic Debt,” “Homelessness,” “Sludge,” “Dirty Tricks,” “Jobless,” “Dead Birds,” “Toxic Waste,” “Poverty,” and “Cancer.” Piggy was also always accompanied by a Handler, who would act as part bodyguard, part propaganda distributor.

Not surprising, the institutional response to Piggy was less than welcoming. Piggy was asked to leave pretty much from every “privately owned” space, including from the steps at Montgomery and Market, which is owned by McKesson, the steps of 555 California, and the San Francisco Shopping Center.

Piggy In Progress