MSCHF Installs ATM That Strokes The Ego Of The Wealthiest User
Never tell Elon Musk this ATM exists. Created by art stunt collective MSCHF—the same folks that brought you ‘Satan Shoes’ and gave the Nike legal team a headache—this functional money withdrawal machine stands out from others in that it puts everyone’s bank balances on show.
That’s right. You won’t just catch a glimpse of the cash balance of the careless person before you, but also that of everyone else who has ever used it too. The ATM Leaderboard, MSCHF’s latest project, envisions the everyday ATM as a classic arcade machine with a leaderboard—except instead of broadcasting the top-scorer of Ms. Pac-Man, it ranks each user by their wealth.
Users will also be able to match each bank balance to a face, as the ATM is installed with a camera to capture the photo of anyone who uses the equipment. The photos are shown with the monetary amounts on the leaderboard.
The million-dollar idea is currently on show at Art Basel in Miami Beach with Perrotin Gallery as part of MSCHF’s first-ever exhibition, where visitors will also view cut-up Damien Hirst works and a Michelangelo-style marble statue of Jennifer Lopez, among several other installations.
Who's the richest of them all? A @galerieperrotin ATM installation at @ArtBasel Miami Beach ranks fair-goers by the contents of their bank accountshttps://t.co/3WaOU166D3
— The Art Newspaper (@TheArtNewspaper) November 29, 2022
Gallerist Emmanuel Perrotin tells the Art Newspaper that the ATM Leaderboard fits culturally with the themes of Art Basel Miami Beach.
MSCHF members Kevin Wiesner and Lukas Bentel explain that although the wealth issue isn’t just tied to the art world, they felt an art fair as prestigious as Art Basel Miami was ideal for letting users “indulge that impulse.”
Wiesner and Bentel reiterate that the ATM otherwise works just like a regular ATM, and anyone can use it to make cash withdrawals.
Visitors who enjoy playing with money might be pleased to know that the ATM Leaderboard is on sale for about US$80,000. As the new owner, they can continually fill the machine with cash and enforce fees, says MSCHF. It’s a perpetual metaphor for the gamification of finance, say Wiesner and Bentel.
View this post on Instagram
The ATM retains the history of all players wherever it goes, raising the stakes for future users.
As of now, the top ranking is held by someone with an account balance of nearly US$3 million. So if you want to beat them, you’ll need to be leading a pretty cushy life right now.
[via The Art Newspaper and CNN, images via various sources]
