Blow some money in the name of art!

We try to find the answers to many vexing questions in our lives: why is the sky blue; how many crayons can I fit up my nose; and where do babies come from - mind you, the last one should be taken as a sign that you really need to get out

We try to find the answers to many vexing questions in our lives: why is the sky blue; how many crayons can I fit up my nose; and where do babies come from - mind you, the last one should be taken as a sign that you really need to get out more.

However, there is one more mental conundrum to add to the ongoing list of unsolved mysteries. Why would you blow an AU$50,000 art grant on the stock exchange?

That's not the worst part - what if the money can only be used to trade shares in Rupert Murdoch's News Corp?

Bummer.

Welcome to the planet with the atmosphere of mind-altering drugs - its only inhabitant, Michael Goldberg. Well, his habitat for the next few weeks anyway.

We can only hope his artistic flair isn't extinguished in a bid to play with the fat boys.

Michael will be trying to 'catch a falling knife' for the next three weeks as he engages in mortal combat with the ASX. Like the little whore that it is, the NCP (AU: News Corp) is bound to swap teams, something that will suck hard for Michael 'McKnife' Goldberg.

Granted AU$50,000 by a consortium of speculators, the artist will take his chances and jive with the ugly beast that is the stock market over three weeks (17 October to 9 November). The consortium will take any profit made, as well as the burden of any losses. The artist chose October as the month for the conflict, as '...[it] is the most volatile and dangerous month on the stock market calendar'. Dangerous? We can only speculate on whether or not Michael will get bodychecked by the fluctuating Australian dollar.

Surprisingly, there is a chat room at the official Website (www.catchafallingknife.com), proving that there are some people with nothing better to do with their time; and that even in the wild, crazy world of the stock market, the statement 'age. sex. location' is still a conversation starter.

The revolution of 'capital punishment' starts now.