Not so Dumb Starbucks may be quite a smart performance
A recently opened store offers coffee under the name Dumb Starbucks. it has considerable visual similarities with the well-known coffee brand. It may be a case of blatant passing off. Or it may be a smartly judged piece of performance art
From a distance, the store in Los Angeles looks like a Starbucks coffee shop. Except the premises are labelled Dumb Starbucks. Coffee in cardboard cups of familiar-looking colours is offered.
The people behind it claim the product to be performance art. The argument is grounded in the principle of fair comment in a parody performance. The case is strengthened by cleverly built-in features. The coffee is given away not sold. Those responsible have a track record of TV comedy spoofs. The Dumb Starbucks logo is consistent across the set including those coffee cups.
There is an interesting blurring of the line between art and reality, which is sometimes a deliberate effort on the part of the artist. Even this blog post could be seen as either a comment on a possible legal issue or as a review of a piece of performance art…
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