Cigarette vending machines put to a good use.

August 18, 2002 2:42 PM

Cigarette vending machines put to a good use. The Artomat project makes local art available in cigarette box size packages for a mere $5 a pop. Find out the location of a machine near you.
posted by machaus (12 comments total)

I got a card for one of these here in Chicago a couple months ago. Really neat idea. Still haven't gotten myself down there to see what's available in ours, though. Keep forgetting.
The examples they had up on the site looked fun, though.
posted by Su at 2:49 PM on August 18, 2002

Similar in idea to the gumball poetry machines.
posted by gluechunk at 2:51 PM on August 18, 2002

The Artomat project makes local art available in cigarette box size packages for a mere $5 a pop

Here in New York, that's cheaper than actual cigarettes!

I'm thinking about doing this. I think it would be really funny to make multiples of this piece [Blatant self link] as my submission. Lots of work, since you have to make at least 30, but perhaps worth it. And the machines look great.
posted by evanizer at 3:08 PM on August 18, 2002

There has been an art vending machine at the student union of my old university for a number of years. No one ever seemed to notice it or buy anything from it. But I think that was more a testament to the general apathy of the campus, than to the merits of the idea.
posted by piskycritter at 3:10 PM on August 18, 2002

Yeah! North Carolina, represent! Ever notice that all of the North Carolina jokes on The Simpsons are smoking jokes?

I wonder if the manufacturers of the machines will soon demand a portion of the proceeds.
posted by Rattmouth at 3:16 PM on August 18, 2002

For the longest time I have been valiantly searching for a Claw Machine, so I could fill it with Booze, Cigarrettes, Condoms, and Pokemon.
posted by Stan Chin at 3:42 PM on August 18, 2002

A friend of mine did something similar while getting his master's (here, though you'll need to mouse-over the first image in the bar on the upper right). $3, and he designed it so what you bought would break every time.
posted by claxton6 at 3:50 PM on August 18, 2002

Stan Chin - For the longest time I have been valiantly searching for a Claw Machine, so I could fill it with Booze, Cigarrettes, Condoms, and Pokemon.

Try this machine or this one or here. [no relation to the ebayers] I am sure you can find one on eBay. Damn, now I want one to do just like you said. It could be called the Claw of Sin, or some other such name.
posted by plemeljr at 3:53 PM on August 18, 2002

There's an art/zine distro machine here in Montreal, called the "distroboto," which was loosely inspired by the Artomat idea. And it's nicely only $2.
posted by saltykmurks at 4:43 PM on August 18, 2002

Wow! After checking the site and a wee bit of Googling, it turns out that there is a permanent installation of one of the machines just a block or so away from me. Thanks for the heads up!
posted by gummi at 4:50 PM on August 18, 2002

yeah Frank, there's one at the 17.5 cafe in the Farmer's Market.
posted by machaus at 4:52 PM on August 18, 2002

I didn't make the connection until I went to the site and checked their list, but I remember seeing one of these in the Third Place in Raleigh. Really cool.
posted by IshmaelGraves at 9:01 AM on August 19, 2002