Lisa Sakai Quinley

Project Information

Year: 2011 - 2012

Project Summary

As part of the Parsons the New School for Design Application I had to submit three original pieces using any medium or media that explored something usually overlooked within my daily environment. For me, living in Nigeria at the time, this was 419.

Parsons Challenge 1: Map

Advance-fee fraud, known as 419 here in Nigeria, is a common, everyday reality my friends and I experience. Perhaps you have received e-mails requesting help with the withdrawal of a huge sum of money from a stranger in desperate need. This ubiquitous scam originated in Nigeria at the dawn of the Internet age. Section 419 of the Nigerian criminal code bans fraud, but the number has come to stand for the crime.

Although it may be spectacular to someone outside of Nigeria, for me 419 is part of daily life. In Nigeria, 419 covers all kinds of fraud. For example, fraudsters sell houses they do not own. Due to this, it is normal to see the words, “This house not 4 sale,” and “Beware of 419,” painted on walls by landowners.

Through my three pieces I wanted to show the global reach of 419, the underlying greed which makes this fraud possible, and the sad effect it has on Nigerian society.

My first piece is a world map covered in 419s, showing global reach, with a color theme of green and white, like the Nigerian flag. Each 419 has a string connecting it to Nigeria, showing how one source reaches everywhere. Even if only a few people fall for the scam, 419 still exists. A profit is still made. This is represented by the two red 419s attached with red strings. These are the rare victims who fall for 419.

Parsons Challenge 2: Hands

Since I believe 419 to be like fishing, I wanted to capture the idea of 419 scammers fishing for people. And in addition to that I wanted to capture the greed of the victim which makes 419 possible.

So I began with the idea of hands holding a net trying to catch greedy faces, which morphed into a different plan. To incorporate the greed of a person with fishing, I made a tarnished and chipped gold dollar sign as bait on a hook. People who fall victim to 419 scams do not see that the money being offered in scams is fake. They are so blinded by the thought of immense amounts of money that they are caught like fish on a hook. Furthermore, the fishing rod is made of only a stick and string, a primitive fishing instrument to represent how crude the 419 scams are.

The hand holding the fishing pole is wearing a ring with the numbers 419. A simple way of showing that the hand that fishes, perpetrates the scam. Also, for someone viewing the sculpture they can understand that it symbolizes 419.

Parsons Challenge 3: License Plates

The same spirit that drives 419 also drives corruption and cheating in Nigerian society. My third piece represents this through Nigerian license plates.

Nigeria’s states all have their own license plate, each of which has a slogan, just like in the United States. The slogans are optimistic, proud, and aspirational. However, in reality, Nigeria is a troubled land with tremendous challenges. Much of Nigeria’s wealth is lost to corruption, and most of its people remain desperately poor. It is considered a country that has so much potential and so little to show for it. The cheery slogans on the state plates start to sound ironic to those who know better.

I imagined what a real Nigerian license plate should have as its slogan. It should recognize that Nigeria’s aspirations have not been met. The numbers on the plate spell out the reason. And the Nigeria plate stands out from the background of real state plates. In a way, the background is like the dream of what Nigeria should be. Many of my friends are hopeful for the future and plan the changes they will make to drive the reputation of Nigerian 419 away.