Through the practice of Sagan Standard in empirical science, Bigfoot, among other cryptids, remains in cryptozoology, because no one was able to “prove” that Bigfoot exists. Through the act of “The Museum is Hiring Bigfoot Hunters,” this performance brings up the questions of: 1) Why do we hunt Bigfoot? 2) Why is a body needed as evidence? 3) Do institutions create the “truth” or do institutions support our “truth”? 4) What is the futurity of contemporary cryptozoology if field research remains unimaginative?

This participatory experimental performance aims to question the core research methods of contemporary cryptozoology, the relationship of objects with institutions, and the nature of evidence and archives. Through the emails, a one-page application form, and a four-page employee agreement, participants are confronted by their identity as a Bigfoot hunter, pursuits of “evidence” and their relationship to objects, and an institution.

“The Museum is Hiring Bigfoot Hunters!” is an ongoing participatory performance. Since October 24, 2020, we have hired 20 freelance Bigfoot hunters, and five employees have sent us their “evidence” of Bigfoot through emails and Instagram DMs. The Museum first made an open call through Instagram, then through an email list. Posters were made and circulated. Application Forms and Employee Agreements were sent out through emails, distributed in person, scanned and sent back, signed by both parties, and stamped by The Museum. Participants in this project were located in Chicago, Maine, Hong Kong and Texas. All “Evidence” was saved and dated. None of the documents were ever presented, but all were saved and uploaded to The Museum’s Google Drive, and evaluated in a written report in the 2020 Annual Report of The Museum, sent out through email list on December 30, 2020.

“The Museum” (2016 – ongoing) is a project that mimics bureaucratic structures in institutions to highlight certain human behaviours and tempt the audience into participation from their desire. It examines the hows and whys in hierarchical systems and (late-)capitalism through the physical work in the site, and the virtual through social media and websites. Alongside satirical video works, The Museum focuses on designing specific administrative documents to different projects for The Museum’s Unpaid Intern and the audience to fill out, in order to explore the process of authorised existence, the alienation and personalised aspects in bureaucracy, and the systemic violence experienced in and through institutions.