“I Am The Coin” is a project by the awe-inspiring artist Micah Lexier. It consists of tens of thousands of custom minted coins. It was commissioned by the Bank of Montreal; it’s currently on view at the BMO Project Room in Toronto. It's a beauty, though truth be told I'm biased: I had the great good fortune to contribute to it. It opened to the public in January and it's scheduled to close at the end of November. Before it's packed up, I want to pay tribute to it, and to get a contest going for readers of this blog: the prize is a collectible coin produced specially for the project.
As I said, "I Am The Coin" consists of thousands of coins – twenty thousand, to be specific. The coins have been mounted directly on one wall of the BMO Project Room. Each coin is imprinted with a single letter of the alphabet. At first glance it seems to be a grid of random letters; it's not. The seemingly random letters are parts of words and the words are parts of sentences and the sentences are parts of a story. It's tricky to read: there are no punctuation marks, no spaces. The bottom half of the grid spells out the story, which reads like a book, from left to right; the top half of the grid is a mirror image of the bottom.
The coins tell a story that I wrote. The story's about coins, about Micah Lexier, and about the project itself. It's narrated by one of the coins on the wall. The coin loves puns and puzzles and it lies: it tells anecdotes about real people, but the anecdotes are mostly made up.
A clue concealed in the story will reveal the location of the narrator coin. The first reader to locate the narrator coin and post the info in a comment will win a collectible coin.
Micah Lexier's no stranger to numismatics. The sculpture pictured below is titled “A work of art in the form of a quantity of coins equal to the number of months of the statistical life expectancy of a child born January 6, 1995.” It was made in 1995. It comes with instructions: according to the Art Gallery of Ontario, which owns it, “There is one coin for each month of 75.5 years - altogether 906 coins - one of which is to be transferred from one box to the other on the sixth day of each month until July 6, 2070. In the first box the coins are neatly ordered in the manner of a firmly rational system. In the second, they fall where they may, to reflect the random nature of so many of life's events. The monthly transfer of coins is a public ritual so individuals who witness it as children may eventually return as adults with families of their own.”
Words loom large in a lot of Lexier's work. In 2008, he collaborated with Colm Tóibín on a project called "1334 Words for 1334 Students." Here's how the Calgary Herald described it: Tóibín "wrote a story about a Pakistani boy named Malik, set in Barcelona, and sent it by return email to Lexier in Toronto. The artist gave the story to the Grade 12 art students who divided it into 21 sections, assigned one word to each student, asked the student to write it out by hand, and collected the words on large white pages.""
Also in 2008 came "Two Equal Texts," Lexier's collaboration with Christian Bök. This is a shot of the piece as it was installed at MKG 127 Gallery in Toronto. It’s sort of self-explanatory.
In 2009, he asked me to collaborate on "I Am The Coin." I wrote the story in a month or so, then he had it cast in coin form. Here it is in a grid:
Here's the story in a format that won't wreck your eyes when you read it:
I Am The Coin
A story told in 10,000 characters by Derek McCormack
I am the coin I am telling this story I am in a grid consisting of twenty thousand coins a grid two hundred rows long by one hundred rows high each coin is a letter there are no spaces and no punctuation marks there is a hidden clue to help you find me
Find the clue and you will find me it will not be easy I made sure of that the grid is huge the grid is a mirror of itself the top fifty rows reflect the bottom fifty rows and vice versa or versa vice to read the top fifty rows you must stand on your head
You wonder why I would want you to stand on your head well coins have to do it all the time heads or tails tails or heads also if you stand on your head coins will fall from your pockets you are wondering how a coin is telling you this well money talks
Okay you do not have to stand on your head it would not help anyway what you have to do is uncover the clue that is concealed in the grid concealed or should I say coincealed the clue is hidden in the bottom fifty rows of the grid I am hidden there too
Unum is Latin for one I am the coin I am the one coin in this grid that matters I am the one coin in this grid that you must find numismatics is the name for the study of coins I am the only coin that needs studying I am a spectacular specimen e unum unum
What makes me the one the only coin that matters why am I the most spectacular coin in the history of coins I will tell you I am a coin with consciousness by which I mean coinsciousness but beware I have no conscience by which I mean no coinscience
Are there other coins that can talk no there are not are there other coins that can think no there are not I am not Cartesian but Cointesian my theorem is coingito ergo sum I clink therefore I am I have consciousness but no conscience who needs it
No there has never before been a coin like me I am sentient I have a joke for you what do you call a penny that thinks centient I do not have a brain but I do have a head and a story to tell Micah Lexier made me this way when he made me a part of this artwork
The dictionary says that sentience is the basis of subjectivity well I am sentient I can speak and I can speak about speaking too I have thoughts and feelings I feel coiny art speaks to people and art speaks about art Micah Lexier made me I am art
Truth is that Micah Lexier made me but I do not want to discuss him the art he makes is always about himself and his friends I am the star of this show I do not have a brain but I have a head and a tail everybody loves head everybody loves tail wink wink
Other people made it possible for me to be I do not want to discuss them either Derek McCormack wrote the story you are reading but so what he is dull and I am desirable and I am dirty coins are germy I will flip for you will you give me a toss wink wink
From here on in I will only talk about what I want to talk about if I want to talk about Micah and Derek then I will do so maybe I will tell the truth but then again maybe I will not I have no morals I am a coin money talks and money lies and mirrors lie too
In two thousand and eight Micah Lexier was commissioned by Dawn Cain who is the curator at the Bank of Montreal to create an art project and he came up with the idea of casting a coin me and of casting a cast of thousands of other coins too bit parts
No I do not know where Micah came up with the idea to coin me maybe he liked that Dawn Cain had a surname that sounded something like coin and that looked a lot like coin or maybe he liked that dawn cain was assisted at work by a lady named elisa coish
Dawn Cain and Elisa Coish two names that when put together make the anagram A Salad Nicoise Winch maybe Micah likes puns puzzles and palindromes and anagrams or maybe he likes to read reading and coins are connected coins are covered in words
Maybe Micah thought that since words make coins then coins could make words he decided he would let me tell my story through coins coins with letters he decided there would be coins tens of thousands of coins and that each coin would be a letter
Each coin would combine with other coins to create words words would combine with words to create sentences coin a phrase phrase a coin Micah decided that each line would be two hundred characters across no spaces no numerals no punctuation
Imagine a grid one hundred rows of coins high two hundred rows of coins across Micah likes to count he imagined a grid that reflects itself the bottom rows reflect the top rows and hidden somewhere in that grid a clue leading to a certain coin me
As hard as it is to believe I was nothing till I was made into a coin before that I was a blank a blob a bit of metal worth a fraction of a fraction of a cent but now I am a coin I am worth much more I am art and art is more important than artists am I right I am
Money is a trick the truth is that a penny does not contain a penny in copper a nickel does not contain a nickel in nickel a dime does not contain a dime etc coins are valuable because a government says so I am valuable because I am art and also shiny
Truth is that art is a mirror held up to society I am a mirror held up to society I am in a grid of coins that mirrors itself I see my reflection I do not literally see my reflection a coin is not literally a mirror it is only a mirror if you are the queen
Her majesty queen elizabeth the second she is the monarch currently on the currency of canada a coin is a mirror if you are queen elizabeth the second or if you are a bluenose sailboat or a polar bear or a caribou or a beaver or a maple leaf or a loon
Ecce nummus I am a mirror held up to society a coin can reflect anything it can become anything a coin can become art art can become coin if I were a book I would be coindide by voltaire and if I were an album I would be the velvet underground and coin
That was an anagram coin nico clever If I were a liqueur I would be cointreau and if I were a dress I would be a Cocoin Chanel and if I were a play I would be Tressida and Coinus and if I were an opera I would be Toscoin which is the opposite of a coin toss
Hey if I were an actor I would be Sean Coinery if I were an actress I would be Coindice Bergen if I were a film I would be The Shop around the Coiner if I were a joke I would be how do I get to coinegie hall pause practice anagram is an anagram for anagram
I know what you are thinking you want me to stop fooling around you want me to be serious I am art and art is serious and money is serious you want me to be deep well good luck with that I am a coin I am all surface I am mere millimetres deep I am not thick
Really is it not enough that I told you how I was made no it is not you want to know why I was made you want to know if I have some deep meaning you people are always analyzing things I am a coin it does not matter what I mean what matters is what I am worth
Trust me when I say that people have psychology coins have collectibility art does too the only things that matter are what I am worth and how shiny I am but no you want something more from me some insight into me well then I will make something up
You are standing before an artwork by Micah Lexier the artwork considers the complicated exchanges that our culture conducts between money and art this piece is highly personal he first became interested in coins as a boy scout in manitoba
From the coin collecting merit badge manual of the boy scouts of canada colon To obtain a merit badge for coin collecting a scout must exhibit at least one hundred types of coins personally collected by him and mounted for display to the troop
In order to get his coin collecting merit badge Micah had to do a lot of reading he had to read the coin collecting merit badge manual of the boy scouts he had to read and remember a glossary of coin collecting terms such as inscription and incuse
Reverse the side of the coin that is not the obverse obverse the side of a coin that features the main device which is usually the head of state Micah learned terms by rote reading is crucial to coin collecting reading about coins reading coins
Symbol a secondary device usually in the field Field the part of the surface of the coin not taken up by the main device and the main inscription inscription the lettering and words on a coin Micah read every book in the town library about coins
Type the type includes everything on the side of the coin but type is also used to designate the device exclusive of the inscriptions Micah read so much about coins he got his merit badge in reading before he got a merit badge in coin collecting
Learning the language of coins was only the first step for Micah after that he had to study the history of coins according to the coin collecting merit badge manual of the scouts the first coins were made by ionians ionic is an anagram for I coin
Every other boy in school was dating girls but not Micah he was dating coins he read about the coins of greece the coins of rome the coins of persia he loved the tetradrachm with its head of Alexander the great alexander was so handsome so strong
This is how to date a coin take it to dinner buy it flowers Micah loved the florin of florence the sequin of venice the first sequins were gold coins stitched to the garments of noblemen this fact thrilled Micah and he thought of alexander again
The easiest coins to date were Canadian as Micah discovered our coins do not date back that far the oldest one he read about in the Scout manual was a sou from Quebec from eighteen thirty seven what did one coin lawyer say to another I will sou you
Eventually Micah got around to collecting coins his first was a penny from the year he was born he wanted a rarer coin he asked his mom she checked her change she did not have a florin a sequin or a sou he asked his dad men do not have sequins said dad
Really said Micah to his dad some men do so have sequins what about liberace Micah bought a starter coin collection at a hobby shop it had coins from chile and china the coins were not worth what he paid for them but a hobby shop must make money too
In no time Micah amassed a fine coin collection friends sent coins from far flung countries he met other collectors and traded coins he saved his pennies and sent away for coins he broke the piggy bank what noise does a piggy bank make oinc oinc
Next he mounted the coins he loved mounting them as much as he loved dating them he loved the cardboard cards he loved the envelopes with celluloid windows he loved paste board trays with holes cut to the size of the coins he loved labeling them
This is a label from the childhood coin collection of Micah colon Austria Maria Theresia Empress of Austria Hungary Bohemia a thaler silver eighteen seventy minted in vienna the thaler was his favourite coin it was as big as a compact mirror
High relief low relief cameos Micah rattled off his coin knowledge to the Boy Scout leader he displayed his collection to the troop of course he got his merit badge he sewed it to his sash he had other badges too for sewing camping dramatics art
Initially the Lexiers were happy to see their son collecting coins but soon they worried that he was becoming obsessive the scout leader told them not to fret he said coin collecting was a healthy hobby he said it could be worse much much worse
So there it is a story by me about Micah I see your faces you were moved you are wondering how I can see you at all I have an eye my eye is a clue to help you find me I wink at you I am giving you the eye I am making eyes at you here is a palindrome sore eye eros
Coin tells story it is a crazy story in itself I am Charles Dickoins I will publish it where would a coin publish a story in a treasury how can a coin write in the first place coins are art art is stories stories are fiction a penny for your thoughts
Look coins are worth more than the materials they are made of and artworks are worth more than the sum of their parts and stories are larger than life fiction is more real than fact fiction is real it is the coin of the realm and the coin of the real
Ultimately it comes down to this I am the coin I am the coin in a grid that consists of twenty thousand coins and I want you to find me the clue to finding me is hidden in the grid surely you have seen it by now open your eyes that is a hint do not be a slug
Everyone who finds me will win a prize the prize is the pure pleasure of finding me to find a coin is good luck to find me start at the start and read down Mirror mirror on the wall who is the luckiest coin of all it is I I am good luck I am lucky lucky am I
Locate the narrator coin! A collectible coin could be yours. And if you want to see more of "I Am The Coin," feel free to visit www.iamthecoin.com
Thanks!
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p.s. Hey. So, there's a treat and optional task of a weekend for you. The great writer Derek McCormack, whom I'm very proud to call a Little House on the Bowery author, has given you both a fascinating post and a golden opportunity to win, should you care to make an entrance into his contest. To make this easy on everyone, you might send your contest guesses to me at dcooperweb @mail.com, and I will forward them onto Derek. Or I guess you can make post your guesses in the comments, if you prefer. Obviously, I urge you to have a go at the contest for the fun of it and for the glory/prize. Good luck, and, in any case, please enjoy the post and speak to Derek in the comments arena, if you will. Thanks a lot, and, yeah, thanks a whole lot to you, Derek. And, with that, ... ** Nerstes, Hey, man! Really great to see you! Oh, sure, trying to figure what the boys in those photos are thinking, or rather what they're feeling, I guess, is a big reason why I gather those pictures and make the posts. I'm really glad you liked it. Yeah, finishing the novel at long last. Phew. Sorry things are generally weird on your end unless the weirdness is a good thing. Weirdness can be interesting, goodness knows. Take care, man, and I'd love to know what you're up to more specifically, if you feel saying. ** David Ehrenstein, That is a knock out of a Warhol quote. Thinking about Rene brings back memories for me too, mostly spooky ones. ** Pilgarlic, I liked Leon Russell. There was always something kind of weird and ragged about his stuff, and I like weird and ragged. EJ was too sentimental for me. I was into Glam and Prog and the Stooges and stuff back then. EJ himself cruised me once early on, in about '72 when he still had hair. At a Leonard Cohen gig at the Troubadour club in LA. He wasn't out as gay back then, so at first I was, like, why is Elton John looking at me so weirdly and endlessly, and then I was, like, "Ohhhhh....'. Whether they were poetry or short stories or not, those were great book suggestions. ** Patrick deWitt, Hey. You should definitely reference your French publisher in your application. I don't think the Recollets wants written recommendations, but they might consult with him. Honestly, I think you'll get a residency pretty easily. I'm not sure where you read that thing about three month residencies. People are in residence here as briefly as a week or so, and residencies can last up to two years. It might be that the long stays are more difficult to get, but all of my friends here -- Scott Treleaven, Paul P, Kiddiepunk, Oscar -- have lengthy residencies, and it didn't seem very hard to be granted them. One thing you can do is apply to stay for, oh, three to six months, say, and then ask for an extension once you're living here and after they know you. That seems to work out well almost always. Any more questions or help you need or anything, just say the word. ** FreeFox, Hey! What's up? How's your work going? Oh, re: the towers/images, I collect porn pictures wherein the models' facial expressions seem to be odds with the sex they're having. I tend to look for melancholy, sadness, confusion, disconcertion, fear, discomfort, etc. For the towers, I crop the images so that the sex is removed but implied to one degree of another. Then I organize them so each image has a relationship to the ones above and below it. It can be a relationship to do with the composition of the images or the looks on the models' faces or other factors, and then I fiddle until I've made an image-stack that has an interesting build and flow and emotional narrative such that when you run your eyes down it, there's a particular rhythm and visual undercurrent, and the focal point changes in a kind of pattern and at a certain kind of speed, fast or stop-and-start or whatever. I suspect that about 5% of people who look at the tower posts notice or could give a shit about any of that, but that's what interests me about them, and that's mostly why I make them. Anyway, thanks for asking, man. ** Sypha, Hey. Never heard of Matt Cardin before. That does sound quite interesting. Has it inspired any ideas re: what you're writing? ** Killer Luka, Hey, pal. I'm really, really glad you liked the tower. Thanks. That's really nice. Hm, I'll even skip the cold sesame noodles since that'll leave more room in my stomach for the desert. New drawing! My fucking miserable internet won't load it at the moment, but I'll see it later by hook or crook. Everyone, new drawing by the artists' artist Killer Luka entitled 'Boy with Scissors'. You know what means, don't you? Wait for it ... Wait ... Click. ** Pisycaca, Former Ghosts were okay. Sympathetic, I guess. Zola Jesus really needs all that studio filtering and stuff on her records. Live, her voice is really off-key and unpleasant. I might still get to Barcelona, but, it's true that it's not looking all that likely. I like my busy schedule, but sometimes it makes things difficult. Have a great weekend, Montse, and Xet too. ** Dan Callahan, Great news that you're almost finished with the Stanwyck book. So looking forward to that, I must say. No, I don't know the film 'Lonesome'? It's on youtube? I'll chase it down this weekend. What a simple but fantastic title. Thanks a lot. Bon weekend. ** Trees, Hi, T. Actually, about a third of the photos were from either US, UK, or South American porn. It's not the boyishness of the models that draws me to use a lot of Eastern European porn, it's the fact that EE porn is sloppier and wilder, so they leave in shots where the models look uncomfortable or where they're between facial expressions. Western porn tends to clean out the 'mistakes', and that's what makes it less useable for me. Glad the audition went well. I have friends who are involved in making porn to one degree or another, and I don't think taking a while to get hard is unusual or considered a problem much at all. Anyway, hope they sweep you into their retinue. That is kind of flummoxing about the diving guy's turnaround, yeah, I can imagine. I guess the emotion part is what he has trouble with? ** JW Veldhoen, Thanks about the roundup. Much appreciated. I'm noting names and things. A Day for me? Well, ace, natch. -26 degrees? Holy moly. We're supposed to get down to -2 next week, and here I was whining to myself. ** Colin, Hey. Yeah, that boy up top was fascinating. He actually has that odd expression in most of his pictures, even when he smiles, so I guess his face was just made that way or something. I'm glad there's still time for the blurb. Would it be possible to give me a deadline? That might help. My mind is kind of messed up by the intense novel work, so hard facts are good. ** Ken Baumann, Hey, Ken! Sheer loveliness to see you, man! I'm almost there, I think, yeah. Some worries, maybe justified, that it's not what HP is hoping for, but I guess I'll deal with that when the time comes. Oh, very cool about that article and the praise! As usual, I'll read it once I get this p.s. in its rightful place. Everyone, the unimpeachably great writer, publisher, actor and so much more Ken Baumann ... well, I'll let him tell you: 'The awesome Steve Silberman interviewed me about acting & memory, then Jim Beaver (Ellsworth from Deadwood) said the nicest thing he could've about me in the comments, and then Roger Ebert said: "This article revealed more to me about how actors work than any other I have ever read." Here's the interview.' Clicking that link is a guaranteed pleasure, folks, so do it. Congrats on the big success of the benefit! And very enticing and pleasing news that Blake and Mr. Higgs have seen and rewarded 'Solip'. Man, I'd love to read it, if you want to share and if you can wait until I get this novel/beast out of my head and my time and my life. Good that you're still planning to dutifully keep to my publishing deadline for you. If I'm lucky, mine will come out this time next year too, and, if so, dude, we need to read together, no? Enjoy the rain. We over here are doing anti-rain dances to get rid of ours. Have a greater than great weekend, Kenster! ** _Black_Acrylic, Oh, that narrative based around your friend's track sounds really good, obviously. Hope it works out. Deadline time, okay. Everyone, the zine among zines Yuck 'n Yum, co-masterminded by our dear and brilliant friend _Black_Acrylic, has an upcoming deadline for the next issue. I urge you to click this link, where you will find all the details, and then strongly consider submitting work to the issue. ** Steevee, I've got my fingers severely crossed about the possible Artforum gig. Let us know what happens. Curious to hear your opinion on 'The Fighter' and 'Black Swan' too. ** Nb, Oh, thanks a lot, Nick. Gosh. ** Jose, Hey. Well, yeah, it's like the 3D movie phenom at the moment, I guess. Hopefully, the games themselves will up the ante in an interesting way once the cheap thrill/ pull wears off. We'll see. Most of the porn yesterday wasn't Russian, and the majority was new or newish, at least. I think there were two images in there that have been floating around the net for years. If it felt like something I posted here five years ago, it's probably just because I have an abiding and ongoing interest in constructing things out of a particular kind of weirdly emotionally intersected porn. So, I think it's my framing rather than the images themselves that feel familiar. ** Misanthrope, Good to hear that your money work is getting steadier and, yeah, good luck on the possible opening slot in your friend's company for sure. I know how you like opening slots, ha ha. You're at the end of your blog story already? That is kind of sad, but the novel needs you. Tell me when it's complete so I can read the entirety and try to get these guys around here to partake. If you see Roar, give him my love and my best, for sure! ** Rigby, Thanks, big R. Blue bells are really nice. I've hardly ever actually seen them in the flesh. Nice pick. What's your weekend going to add up to? Greatness, I command you. ** Andrew, Hey. Actually, as far the Eastern European porn yesterday, which was most of it, I guess, you do get a fair amount of stoned or drunk porn models. A lot of the time, they don't even bother to hide the bongs and bottles and stray pills. Hope that distant relative smooths out your computer. Yeah, I know from personal experience that clearing out the pre-installed crap can make a huge difference. Nice initial blog list there. I say go for it. The knitting too. ** Laurabeth, Hey, Laura. Glad the suggestions panned out. Brautigan should do the trick just fine. Never heard of Brothers Part before. Weird. Okay, when I get out of here and once my internet connection cooperates, I'll give that second favorite band of yours a good look and listen. Have a terrific weekend! ** Creative Massacre, Hey. You especially seem to get hit with a lot of shit at once. It sucks and is most strange. Like something bad triggers a little avalanche. Sorry, pal. I hope the weekend takes care of at least some of that hell for you. ** Inthemostpeculiarway, Oh, no, you've gotten sick? Like whole body sick? I hope you somehow woke up feeling relieved today. Your body's on the warpath. That ear of yours clearly has some very unsavory comrades. Yeah, let me know how you're feeling by the end of the weekend, okay? My day: not much. Like I said, I was sleepy and spacey yesterday, I don't know why. But it kind turned my day into a nothing. I barely got novel work done, although the worked has picked up this morning. Let's see ... the narrator is in the early part of learning the secrets of the weird playhouse in Calais from his father's lawyer who has just talked to the mayor of the little town near the playhouse. It would take me many sentences to explain what's happening at the moment because the story about the playhouse is very complicated and reliant on things that have occurred in the novel so far, so I'll just leave it a mystery for now. After I wasn't able to write much, I bought some food. My agent called to tell me there's a publisher in the UK that seems interested in putting out 'Smothered in Hugs', but it's tentative. Still, it would be nice since I haven't had a book published in the UK in ten years. Gisele called to say we have a meeting with the architect who's designing our maze on Monday evening. I put together a blog post. It was pretty cold, and it's getting more wintery and cold here now, which is what it is. I don't mind, but I have a hole in the bottom of my only pair of shoes, so I guess I have to buy new ones. My buddy Joel called, and we caught up on the latest stuff here and there. Hm, I think those were the highlights. But I have a whole weekend now to do something interesting, and I'll try. You feel better, and let me know about your weekend. ** Chilly Jay Chill, Hi, Jeff. I haven't read 'Reader's Block'. I've been seriously meaning to for forever. No, weirdly, I had never seen Xiu Xiu live before the other night. A series of unfortunate coincidences. So, I have nothing to compare it to. It was Jamie and, oh gosh, what's-her-name. It was much more pro and intricate than I was expecting. Just really great. Gisele and I have been mulling the idea of approaching Jamie to collaborate for a while. I think that show kind of cemented the idea, so we'll see. I saw your email, and I'll get to it today. Thanks a lot. ** L@rstonovich, Not to burst the bubble of the post's dangers, but it was all perfectly legal, above board porn. And I actually heard your skronking and loved it and the song it graced too. Kudos. I wish you could jump onstage for the encore next week. Maybe I'll stand and yell your name at TW over and over until they make it happen. I do remember that you play Dungeons and Dragons. I've always been really tempted to play it, and my friend Eddie Ruscha in LA has been playing it for years, but I fear the possible addiction. Anyways, sounds very cool, and you're very cool to say such nice things, buddy. A Skype date would be way cool. What's your schedule? Nine hours time difference, early to bed and rise habits on my end. Otherwise, I'm almost always around right now tapping at my novel. Throw out a possible date/time or two, and let's suss it. Love, me. ** Okay, if you've read this far, then the only thing to do now is give your everything to Mr. Derek McCormack's post and quiz and dangling prize. Have at it, and I'll see you guys on Monday.
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