In the spring of 2002, Atlanta artist Cecelia Kane decided to form small group to study the history of performance art and to evolve some sort of group collaborative performance. We met in Cecelia's studio at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center for about eight weeks, and eventually coalesced into the short-lived but kick-ass activist group, Stuff and Nonsense.

Loosely, our mission was to point out the excesses of consumer culture and to suggest (often mischievous) alternatives. Coming Soon was the best thing S&N ever did. Having brainstormed about possible issues to address through our work, we settled on the overwhelming amount of empty shopfront spaces in downtown Atlanta around the 5 Points/Fairlie Poplar area and the accompanying sense of urban wasteland. Many of us had either worked or gone to school nearby, and had experiences of craving dinner downtown, or wanting a place to meet a friend after dark, to no avail. Property speculation, high rents, and general bad juju had crept in and taken over.

We started thinking about the potential of all those empty spaces to restore a sense of life and community to downtown. For more input, we connected with members the Downtown Neighborhood Association and interviewed residents about their wishlists for the spaces.

Armed with pig noses, utopian plans, real-estate coming-soon assurances, and fancy vinyl letters, we struck early on the morning of the Downtown Arts Festival and the Tour of Lofty Lifestyles...