When Art Pranksters Invaded Melrose Place

Decoder Ring · Oct 25, 2023 · 37m

In the mid-1990s, the prime time drama Melrose Place became a home to hundreds of pieces of contemporary art—and no one noticed. In this episode, Isaac Butler tells the story of the artist collective that smuggled subversive quilts, sperm-shaped pool floats, and dozens of other provocative works onto the set of the hit TV show. The project, In the Name of the Place, inspired a real-life exhibition and tested the ability of mass media to get us to see what’s right in front of our faces.

Decoder Ring is produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. This episode was written and reported by Isaac…