Lick My Candy

I've got this new idea for an art project. My assignment is a surrealist sculpture. My idea is to make fun of the the medieval catholic practice of Icon worship and involving it with the modern obsession with celebrity. In ancient times you can go to a church in Europe and pray to a shirt or, in some cases, the body parts of a holy man.

So, I'm taking this idea and modernizing it. I'm constructing a series of reliquaries, these ornate shrines, and sending candy to celebrities asking them to lick it and send it back to me so I can put it in the shrine. I imagine almost everyone will say no, and that's fine; I'll probably just document that, and lick some candy myself and say it's theirs. If they get mad and sue me, it generates publicity and I become a famous artist. But imagine if anyone actually says yes.

So I'm trying to think of celebrities who would be smart/crazy enough to get my idea and go for it. Steve Martin's an art collector so he might dig the concept, Woody Allen might give me permission to lick something and say he did it himself (an option I'm including), and those guys on Jackass will do just about anything provided it's weird enough. I've got a pretty long list of others going, but again I'll probably be lucky if one in a hundred sends me anything back. So lemme know if you think of anybody I should try to write. I'm kinda aiming at not-too famous people, since they'll be easier to get in touch with. For example, I'm writing to Gary Coleman since the guy seems to be willing to do anything to be famous.

The emails I'm sending will definitely explain the whole project. And while I think it would be funnier if they got the candy in the mail, it probably is better they pick it out themselves, so they know I'm not trying to poison them or anything.

On the subject of eBay- I've been over it with myself, and I'm not sure if I can do that. Will the celebrities give me permission, is my teacher okay with it? But really, I think it's a nice twist on the project that kinda proves my point, that this whole celebrity worship thing is silly, that some people will buy (literally) anything attached to famous people.

This is the craziest idea I've had for a piece, and my teachers love it, so I just can't resist trying for it just to see what happens!