Russell Brand Pop Up Shop

May 24, 2010

Russell Brand is someone with the rare gift to entertain and provoke thought seamlessly as he jokes and waxes philosophical. His self-deprecating, humorous, exploration of insecurity, selfishness, the desire for connection and validation, sexuality, etc.. illuminate the full spectrum of the human condition. I love that Russell is provocative sociologically, but not judgmental, because he is often his own test subject. He is FUNNY AS HELL but the thing that sets Russell apart is his honesty and humanity. After being a fan of Russell’s comedy for a couple years I stalked him at a charity event to clumsily explain why I liked his work. We stayed in touch and recently have collaborated on a project. I made some graphics and will be donating some OBEY clothing to the BUY LOVE HERE shop. Russell will be there interacting with people, and if you’ve never witnessed Russell’s unscripted wit you will have one of the following reactions, or a combination: awe, jealousy, irritation, thought provocation, literary reference anxiety, LAUGHTER. Plus you might end up being filmed and get your 15 seconds(it has been shortened for the new attention span) of fame. Russell is making a documentary on consumerism and happiness. Read more below.

-Shepard

www.buylovehere.com

‘Buy Love Here’ is a pop up and exchange shop, where for one day money will have no currency. The shop is the brain child of British comic Russell Brand and will take place between 2pm and 6pm on Thursday the 27th of May 2010, at The Beverley Centre in Los Angeles.

The idea is to raise debate about the scale of consumer culture and to promote the re-use of products in a surplus society. It is a social experiment to examine shopping habits whilst providing an opportunity for Russell to speak directly with the public and gauge opinion. The day will be filmed as part of an ongoing documentary Russell is currently filming about the pursuit of happiness.


Many of us are guilty of buying things we don’t necessarily need or updating products before the previous model is truly defunct. With this in mind the shop offers customers an opportunity to put those unwanted items to good use by offering them in exchange for something they actually need.

The shop will initially be stocked by donations from Russell, his friends (some celebrity) and companies prepared to contribute end of the line / out of season items. We are also welcoming donations from the public.

On the day Russell will act as vendor greeting customers and managing exchanges. Ideally we’d like the day to serve a genuine purpose and therefore hope that customers will bring items of some value, not in terms of their financial worth but with regard to their function. However, don’t let this put you off bring your unwanted items and get prepared to swap.

You can offer donations by emailing

[email protected] – we will arrange drop off and collection.