Big Baller

All artists have their obsessions. For Andy Warhol it was cows and cans, for Yves Klein it was the color blue, and for Lee Walton it's a little red ball. This tiny, soulless, inanimate object has become the subject of some very public displays of affection, in Walton's aptly-named 'Red Ball Project.' For the last few months, the artist has been asking readers of his website to post suggestions for places at which to abandon his loved one. Once he received 101 posts, the self-proclaimed 'Experientialist' designed a highly-scientific and nutritious means of narrowing-down the list of dumping grounds. He calls it 'The Pepperoni System.' Numbering each submission and narrowing them down on the basis of chance allocations of pepperoni pieces, on the New Yorker's lunch of choice, Walton will eventually let kismet (and calories!) decide where his ball is to be set free. Meanwhile, his website plays host to his humorous video updates on the abandonment process. - Marisa Olson