@matthewbajda

"Mace Of Disruption #23" By Matthew Bajda

On Thanksgiving morning, 2015, San Francisco Police all over the city started receiving phone calls about spiked baseball bats chained around the city; 44 to be exact. Their reaction was quick, but not before the news had spread around the world. Not long after, Matthew Bajda got a visit from police investigators; first at home, then twice at work. Facing felony criminal charges, Matthew turned to lawyer, and one time vice presidential candidate, Matt Gonzalez for help. Bajda, with the help of Gonzalez, managed to elude all charges and maintain his freedom. In the meantime the news around the world created what can be equated to as a $1,000,000 ad campaign.

Behind the story and legal complications of the baseball bats that showed up was actually a social experiment questioning the theory of The Mean World Syndrome. The Mean World Syndrome itself is the hypothesis that, through the prolonged contact to mass media (social, news, entertainment. etc.), one's perception of their surroundings becomes skewed into believing the world is more dangerous than it actually is. These bats tested that very theory. If someone encountered one of them on the street, what would their initial reaction be? Would their feelings of danger change to empowerment if they actually picked up that bat?

As time progressed and the legal "Cat and Mouse" died down, an art show sprang up in support of the event, titled Mace Of Disruption. The show opened July 3rd, 2016, at The Growlery in San Francisco, California. It showcased Bajda's film photos of every single bat that was installed that Thanksgiving Morning, along with actual gold plated spiked baseball bat sculptures made specifically for the show, and a discussion panel covering the topics surrounding the event.

This NFT is the first, and so far, only NFT Bajda has ever produced. It is the 23rd Bat installed, which was found on Broadway and Stockton in San Francisco Chinatown.

if you would like further information about the project itself, the discussion panel can be found on youtube at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzF2M4dgedM&t=769s