A small scale lottery system

Redistributing of (financial) resources through a collective lottery system organized for and by organizations and their members and communities.

Information
This Recipe for

Redistributing of (financial) resources through a collective lottery system organized for and by organizations and their members and communities.

Recipe source

This recipe is derived from Parasite Lottery and composed by the Commons • Art team. Parasite Lottery is intended as a tool for any community and collective looking for ways to redistribute (financial) resources. Following this system small organisations get funds from bigger institutions, while the big institutions get money for deviation. It turns to new strategies to face a lack of funding needed in the arts and elsewhere.

Background, situation & credit

Parasite Lottery is initiated by artist and cultural activist Wok the Rock & Casco Art Institute. Drawing events took place in the Netherlands at Platform BK, Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam, Das Spectrum, and Casco Art Institute. The project responded to the austerity measures following the financial crisis in The Netherlands resulting in public funding cuts whilst cultural funds from lottery ticket sales remained stable. The Parasite Lottery Album was made by Wok the Rock in collaboration with Berlin-based artist Frau.

Ingredients

A bingo cage, lottery tickets, a fish bowl, lottery host, The Parasite Lottery album and flags, prize money, and Parasite Lottery prize cheques.

Instruction

Step 1

Gather a group of organizations, initiatives, institutions or individuals that enter the lottery with a sum of money, the size of which depends on their ability. Whilst not everyone enters with the same amount, the prize money will be divided equally at each of the draws.

Step 2

Humour is important. Make sure to find a host who can lead your drawing events with humour and a sharp tongue.

Step 3

Set up your (public) drawing events with food, music and talks. Gather all the ingredients: a bingo cage, lottery tickets, a fishbowl with the prize money, and cheques with the winning amount.

Step 4

During your lucky draw event, the host will spin the bingo cage with the lottery tickets, each ticket representing a different organization or individual. With each draw, one of the participants will win a sum of money to be used as a ‘fee for deviation,’ meaning that the prize should be spent on something the winner usually doesn’t have budget for. Each of the lucky draws will see a different winner, ultimately making sure that each organization that entered the lottery receives the same prize. This prize will - depending on ability - be bigger or smaller than what was entered into the draw, redistributing the money based on relations of solidarity.

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Step 10

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“In the summer of 2016 various lucky draw events took place across the Netherlands as part of Parasite Lottery, a collective lottery system organized by artist Wok the Rock for Casco Art Institute: Working for the Commons. To a backdrop of food, music, conversations and presentations, and in a cultural landscape marked by new austerity measures and public funding cuts following the financial crisis in The Netherlands, the anticipated lottery draws took place, accompanied by feelings of excitement, nerves and a desire to win.”
— Quote by Wok the Rock on Parasite Lottery