FIRE SPRINKLER - Listed by 'Libertystats' on Ebay, November 2007.
Originally uploaded by cgardunofreeman
This firesprinkler was listed for sale in late 2007. The seller claims it is a genuine example of the original 1972 installation, which was being upgraded. He or She amusingly suggests that by buying this obsolete object "you too can be a part of history", and that it "would look great on a mantle piece or anywhere you prefer." I'm nor sure that this object - out of context (that is not in the Sydney Opera House) and on your mantelpiece would ever really be recognised as more than a piece of junk. but as Beverly Gordon suggests, this souvenir is a 'piece of rock' that is a fragment of the larger site or destination. The object itself has no longer has any real use; its value lies in its origin and authenticity as part of the Sydney Opera House. I am not sure how much the final item sold for, or what the purchaser is actually doing with it, but I find the idea that there is an exchange value to this firesprinkler very interesting indeed.
