Imagining that James Joyce doodling on coasters as he took notes for his book Finnegans Wake.
Customers at Rúla Búla Pub were given special coasters with their beer: 64 coasters were given out, a different set of four each week for the twelve weeks of the event. Each coaster can be understood as a stand-alone piece; combined the series builds to give a general sense of the book (storyline, characters, great/funny quotes, etc). Finnegan's Wake’s main character is a pub owner and a fair amount of the story takes place in a pub. The book was originally released as a serialization (named A Work in Progress), as are the coasters. Joyce apparently spent a couple of years obsessively taking notes for the book (who says it couldn't have been on coasters in a pub?).

A partner show at the Arizona State University Art Museum displayed the coasters, revealed as they became available at the pub, and a place to sit and read the book that inspired the piece.

Date: 2010
Location: Rúla Búla Pub, Tempe, AZ
and ASU Art Museum
Commissioning Agency: ASU Art Museum