Lyn Goeringer

Introduction:

Each day, every day, we work. As we work, we create small projects, an aside, where we subvert the dynamic of our daily work. In these daily detours, we find ourselves creating a different product, a product of power subversion. We post online to friends, we doodle, we play with office supplies, and we make miniature sculptures out of the detritus of our day. These small moments provide us with micro-freedom, the freedom of participating in labor on our own terms.

Rather than a byproduct of labor, we have instead engaged in a biproduction of labor: two forms labors occurring at once, one where we fulfill an obligation of physical presence in a work force, and the second, where we are working to create our own products, be it in the form of social capital and networking, paper clip art, post-it note doodles, or even small sound explorations with staple removers.

Description and Definition:

The bi-product of labor can be defined as the products that are manufactured in our daily diversions within our work/labor practice. These may include, but are not limited to: posting in online social networking websites, creating sculptures and toys out of paper clips, and creating post-it note artwork for cubicles and offices. As such, our smart phones and other mobile devices have become a playground for our diversions within our workday. These devices allow us to be able not only to engage in personal projects while working (playing games, using various social networks) but also allow us to document our progress on our tactical diversions (via photography or video).

Using whatever camera is at hand (webcam, video or still), document your diversions in photos, audio recordings, or videos that are six second or less. Post them online, and provide a link to them on a social networking site such as facebook, twitter, or vine with the hashtags #CPAFC #biproductoflabor to provide visibility for your biproducts of labor.