”How free is free?”
-the ice-cream incident.
The Concept
On march the 1.st ParadisIs opened up for the summer season, with free icecream for everybody, from 12 - 16 pm. But how free is free? We decided to see how far we could go; would the employees stop us if we returned again and again, asking for more free ice cream?
The point was to create a conflict, a discussion or a dialogue about the free ice cream, the agenda behind the concept and about how free the free ice cream actually was. Why were they giving away ice cream? Who could have some and who couldn't? What was the limit? Did you have to get in line yourself, or could you get ice cream for other people who weren't there? Would they allow us to return and redistribute the ice cream to other people on the streets, in the shops etc.?
The Experiment
Our first experiment was about trying to start a discussion, to get people to comment or start talking about the free ice cream, the queing up in line, what is ethically right when it comes to free ice cream and more generally about queue culture. We got in line for as much free ice cream as we could get and then redistributed it to the people working in the shops on the street (M. P. Bruuns Gade).
We went about the nearby shops asking if they would like some ice cream. We told them we would get it for them, since they couldn't get in line (they were working in their shops). The point was to make them wonder why we did it, and also to provoke some kind of reaction from the staff at ParadisIs. We were hoping the staff would ask where we were taking all the ice cream, and that they would maybe even tell us off or make up some rules (fx stating that the ice cream was only for queuing customers and not for people working in the nearby shops, or maybe they would ask for some kind of evidence that we were actually taking it to someone else and not just eating it all ourselves). This didn't happen. We were simply welcomed each time and asked what flavour we would like.
Incident 1:
One of the places Tine went to was the 7-eleven store. The employees were a little sceptical at first, and as Tine went for their ice cream, Christian (who was documenting and acting incognito as a paying customer at 7-eleven) made a comment on it being a little weird that she wanted to get ice cream for them, thus creating a situation of spect-acting. The two workers thought it was quite funny but didn't believe Tine would return with ice cream for them. When she did they were very pleased and happy, and they gave Tine a coke as a sign of their appreciation (trading with naturals!).
Incident 2:
An other funny incident was when Jonatan went to a restaurant and asked the staff (waitresses and cooks) if they would like some free ice cream. Three of the employees said yes but needed to ask their boss for permission. Then the boss came out and congratulated Jonatan with his new shop, taking him for the owner of ParadisIs. He then explained that it wasn't his shop, that he simply thought it was a shame they weren't able to get in line for the free ice cream and would get them some if they wanted to have some. The boss then frowned and shook her head, obviously displeased with the situation, and then said she didn't want any. The three workers at the restaurant
still wanted ice cream, and Jonatan went back in line at ParadisIs to get it for them. On return, the three employees were happy, and the boss had returned to the back of the restaurant. Several customers in the shop looked surprised and probably wondered what was going on. Unfortunately, none engaged Jonatan in conversation or asked any questions, perhaps resulting in the people thinking that he was employed at ParadisIs which he had mentioned he was not.
The Evaluation:
We distributed about 25 portions of ice cream to people working in the shops on M. P. Bruuns Gade. After returning for more ice cream, leaving and then returning again, leaving and then returning again, we still had met no resistance from the employees at ParadisIs. We had hoped they would try to stop os, engage us in conversation or invent some kind of obstacle that would make it impossible for us to get more ice cream. Because of this we had to rethink our concept and come up with something that would spark it all up a bit - something that would create a situation in which people standing in line, the employees and ourselves would be caught up in a discussion or even a conflict about what free ice cream means, thereby showing everyone "what free ice cream really is"
Rethinking the concept:
We went back to our headquarters (at Ninas place) and recouped. What could we do to create a situation they wouldn't be able to overlook or neglect? We same up with a plan: Jonatan and Christian was to visit ParadisIs once more, and before reaching the desk, Christian would phone Nina. Using the phone as a justifier and also an involvement shield, Christian received a long list of fictional names and the ice creams "they" would like, and Jonatan repeated it all to the girl working behind the desk. After getting an obscene amount of free ice cream, we had no choice but to stop. We just couldn't carry any more! ParadisIs was apparently really, really free and they weren't
interested in creating a conflict or any other situation that would incriminate or embarass them, or create bad publicity.
Thoughts afterwards
Our experiment showed an incredible discrepancy between our expectations and reality. We had hoped to create a situation in which people would comment on our behaviour, ask us what we were doing or simply stop us. Noone did so. In fact the closest we came to actual invisible theatre was in the 7-eleven store, when Christian remarked that it was a little weird that the girl (Tine) wanted to get in line for them. Christian fuelled conversation and thus engaged with the workers in the 7-eleven store, making them into spect-actors.
Also, the reaction Jonatan met in the restaurant (Nordisk Spisehus) was quite funny: why wouldn't the boss have some ice cream along with her workers? Did she suspect Jonatan for wanting to poison them, or was this some kind of commercial loyalty? A code among shop-owners not to exploit each other's special offers? Maybe she just didn't feel like ice cream, but the way in which her entire attitude changed when Jonatan told her he was not the owner of ParadisIs was quite obvious and very interesting.
We could have used the mobile phone or other technological equipment (to a higher degree than we actually did), but the time we had was very limited (the ice cream was only free from 12:00 to 16:00). Had we had more time, we could have created a flash mob of a 100 people getting in line for ice cream, eating it and then getting in line again. We also could have used the "phone-scham" more extremely. If all four of us had been talking on the phone, getting orders from "other people" on the other end of the line. The biggest problem was to carry so much ice cream!
At 16:00 - the end of the free ice cream experiment - we were all a little disappointed with the employees and customers at ParadisIs. It seems that the PR-value of ParadisIs' free ice cream stunt overshadowed any reason they might have had to stop us. Also, the people standing in line were probably to involved in their own business (off free ice cream) to pay any attention to what we were doing. Obviously several of the employees seemed to recognize us as we came back a 2nd,
3rd, and 4th time, but they didn't say anything, even when provoked to the extreme (by the phone-scam). In hindsight we probably should have been even more extreme. It would have been very interesting to see the reaction of customers and employees if the queue had been comprised of 50-100 people, all returning again and again for more free ice cream. Also, it would have created a very interesting discussion if the employees had refused to give us ice cream for redistribution among the shops on the street.
For the next project more planning time would be great. This experiment definitely showed us that you have to plan a lot more than we did, that you have to take a lot more things into account (fx that people don't want to engage or intervene in the situation), that you have to be more extreme or provoking to get people to pay attention. Orthough I don't like to admit it, the free ice cream was definitely free and the employees were very "generous" and "tolerant". Maybe I just might buy my ice cream there next time I want to get some ice cream … maybe not …
Tine, not even realizing that se is being filmed, asks an employee in 7/11 if she can get them free icecream. Apologies for the poor sound quality.
Christian and Jonatan keep ordering icecream…
Christian Salling, Jonatan, Nina and Tine
