Art as economic metaphor: Machines that almost fall over are more inspiring than companies that do.

Artist Michael Kontopolous has created a video of machines that almost fall over. I cannot improve upon his explanation of the piece: “My intention was to capture and sustain the exact moment of impending catastrophe and endlessly repeat it.”

This, ladies and gentlemen, is art for our times. A perfect encapsulation of the economy in general and the advertising industry in particular. The piece has grown on me. It bubbles with a seductive tension. Perhaps we will yield to it and learn to flourish in a time where it is not possible edge away from the brink of doom.