When We Reach 87 Billion STOP!

An Interactive Screenprint Action by John Hitchcock, Spring 2004.UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS School of Visual Arts, Cora Stafford Gallery, Denton, TX.

Viewers were encouraged to complete an edition of prints based on tick marks. We set up a table with one screenprint station, red ink and a huge stack of inexpensive paper (recycled later in print classes). Viewers and I screenprinted multiple passes of tick marks all day. We attempted to reach 87 billion marks on paper. This was an attempt to see what 87 billion looks like. This action acts as a metaphor for collaboration, change, cycles, and intent. This print action comments on the United States national debt and the US governments national and international policies. We ran out of ink at 100000 before the project was completed!

Todays US National Debt is: $6,869,236,031,045.49