Research
What have we learned?
IF WE WIN is an ongoing research project, meant to raise and explore a broad set of questions that live with us in the distance between money and wealth. While this project does not hope to find definitive answers, you will find pieces of the data collected here, in order to better inform your own questions, and to allow you to sit with the uncertainty they bring in the company of others who have done before.
Most of the data collected comes from a performative exchange: 3 participants at a time are given a lottery ticket with a top prize of no less than $25,000 per person; in return, they agree to each set down in writing a plan for spending their winnings. If they win, the ticket is theirs to cash. If they lose, the ticket enters the archives of the research project, along with the written plan.
You can see excerpts from the archives below,
read transcripts of past sessions,
or see the research questions contributed by participants.
Researchers or Artists interested in accessing raw data from participants (with personal details withheld) may contact the artist directly.
Participants in IF WE WIN are offered the chance to add research questions to the piece, which are (gradually) answered here below.
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IS IT OVER? DID I MISS IT? HOW DO I GET A SLOT IF IT'S ALL BOOKED UP?The Telelibrary is an ongoing, by-appointment performance. New Open Hours are posted regularly. To be the first to know when that happens, join the waitlist.
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CAN I CALL FROM OUTSIDE THE US?Yes. Be sure to check the International Calls box, and you will receive separate instructions to call in via Skype or WhatsApp instead. All times are listed in Eastern Time (EST/EDT, depending on your season and personal relationship to time)
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CAN I HAVE SOMEONE JOIN ME?Users often have a friend or partner join them, either on speakerphone or by merging the call. Users are reminded that this is a System designed originally for one participant at a time. Should you be considering bringing a companion, the following questions may be instructive: Would I want to share my solitude with this person? Would I be relieved to be trapped in an elevator with them? How long would it take us to agree on a film for a movie night?
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SO WHAT IS THIS ANYWAY?See above
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HOW WILL YOU USE MY CONTACT INFO? CAN I LIE?Upon registration, you will be asked to provide a name, email and phone number. Your email will be used to send a confirmation and reminder email before your session, and a credits email after your session has concluded. Your phone number will be used to send a reminder text as needed and to verify your call, and then never again. Your name will be used to organize this information, and because it is polite to ask, and could be entirely fake and no one would ever know. If you lie about your contact info, the wrong person will receive the information above, which provides no real benefit to anyone involved, and likely confuse them immensely. In all cases, your information will never be sold or distributed to any third party or entity outside of the Telelibrary, nor even gifted along with a nice pair of socks during the Holiday Season.
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NO, BUT REALLY — WHAT IS IT?"No further details will be provided. Grab a slot below and find out
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WHAT IF I WANT TO ADD MORE THAN ONE PERSON?The Telelibrary invites you to recall the last time you and two or more people tried to decide together on a restaurant.
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IS THIS EXPERIENCE CHILD-FRIENDLY?The System has been informed that every child is unique, special, and remarkable (and your child even more so). As such, it is difficult to determine how they may respond to any given theme which may be explored in your session, (or how willing they are to navigate a telephone-based experience). While content-warnings and considerations are available (see "more info about accessibility"), it may prove instructive to consider the following scenario: You have just entered a used book-store. Books of every kind cram the shelves and lay in stacks on the floor, and there's no telling what you might find in the first one you pick up. You think someone is burning incense, but you can't quite say what the scent is, and though there's a bell to ring for assistance, you have no idea who will show up if you ring it. Now imagine that your child is with you. Are you excited to share this space with them? What kind of conversations might you need to have before, during, or after you do so?
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WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFO ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY OR CONTENT CONSIDERATIONS?You can a basic answers about accessibility here. Further details about FAQs or the Telelibrary experience are available by request. While a sense of discovery and the unknown are important parts of your session, the Telelibrary seeks to make itself accessible to as many persons as possible. You are invited to email any questions, concerns about content warnings or accessibility, or requests to thetelelibrary@gmail.com.
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HOW DOES PAYMENT WORK?The Telelibrary is performed for one caller at a time, and each caller creates their own experience. Sessions are offered on a Pay-what-you-wish basis, with contributions made after your experience is complete. At the end of your session, you will receive instructions for making any contribution you think is fair based on your experience, your support for the project, or your ability.
Unanswered Research Questions
IFW001
What are the Demographics of who is buying tickets?
IFW003
What if someone unbanked wins the lottery?
Has anyone faked a ticket?
Is this gambling?
TTM003
Who Plays the lottery (demographics)?
What is the average spending on lotto tickets?
Median percentile?
A001
What are the thresholds like for losing money?
Bonus play again?
CBT001
Did a game theory experiment in "Soviet Russia" prove that people will always accept what they are given?
CBT002
What % of people are pathological gamblers? Is it genetic?
How do I avoid fees at my bank?
Is there a bird-name for ROSCAS?
What are the statistics of how long/severe income inequality must be before revolution starts, historically?
How common is fraud in the lottery? Is there a black market for stolen tickets? How does lottery fraud compare to vaccine card fraud?
Gallery Guests
When countries get rid of pennies/small currency units, is there a surplus/deficit?
How hard is it to steal stolen pennies?
What does "refinancing a mortgage" even mean?
CBF001
Can you make a good playlist about money?
Does the "Happiness Treadmill" apply to lump sums, or annual incomes?
What is the average medical debt?
CBF002
How much does Gus (the groundhog) cost? Is Gus trademarked? How many Gus' have there been?
CBF003
What is the long term viability of Crypto? What's the point of it all?
CBF004
What is the population of Greenland? Sierra Leone?
Does America have a credit score?
CBF005
Where does the CEO of the Pennsylvania Lottery live?
What type of art does Mike make?
What determines the end of a scratch lottery game?
How often are top prizes unclaimed?
When the United States pays interest on its national debt, who is that interest going to?
How much of our national debt is to China? How much of their debt is to the United States?
