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“A true crowd-sourced ring,” the 30-year-old man said of the ring for his girlfriend of seven months
By Toria Sheffield
Man in underwear. Close up of mans hand holding open box with engagement ring
A man in his underwear; an engagement ring (stock images). Photo: Getty (2)
A Maryland performance artist, who goes by the name Ham, is raising money for an engagement ring for his girlfriend by standing in his underwear in major cities around the world
Ham explained that the project is also "a social commentary on what we are comfortable with in advertising being disconnected from what we are comfortable with in society"
Ham can be spotted in New York City on the corner of East Houston and Lafayette streets in NoHo on April 29 through May 4
A man is stripping down to raise money for an engagement ring!
A Maryland performance artist — who goes by the stage name Ham — is standing on street corners in major cities in his underwear to raise cash for a ring for his girlfriend of seven months, per the New York Post.
Ham, 30, stands in nothing but his underwear and socks — armed with a cardboard sign emblazoned with “engagement ring savings fund” and his Instagram and Venmo handle (@sweatpantcity).
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He was spotted in New York City in March on the corner of East Houston and Lafayette streets. He also visited Berlin and London since beginning the project in January.
However, Ham told the outlet that the stunt isn’t purely a fundraising effort, but also serious art. “It’s a social commentary on what we are comfortable with in advertising being disconnected from what we are comfortable with in society,” he explained.
Will you marry me? Man holding engagement ring.
A man holding an engagement ring (stock image). Getty
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“If people get upset I’m in my underwear, I can [nod] to my left,” he continued, referring to a giant Calvin Klein ad on the N.Y.C. corner, where he stood for his performance piece.
“How can you be upset with me being in my underwear if there’s a 50-foot tall man in his underwear across the street?” he added.
The artist also told the outlet that the experiment has taught him that the institution of marriage is one of the most powerful in the world.”
“A London gallery owner told me if I was asking for money to feed myself, no one would help,” he said.
Ham — who did not reveal exactly how much he has earned toward a ring — noted that while most people donate a single dollar, he has received a $50 bill or $100 bill on occasion.
He proclaimed it’s “a true crowd-sourced ring!”
And to whom does he plan to give an eventual engagement ring? Alma, his girlfriend, whom he met seven months ago.
“Alma is awesome because she does what she loves every day, training horses,” he told The Post. “What I love most about her is the respect she commands from her animals, and the care she gives them. I’m a farm boy at heart, and thus a sucker for a horse girl.”
Yellow Cabs running through busy Times Square in New York City.
Times Square in N.Y.C. (stock image). Getty
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For her part, Alma told the outlet that Ham is “a really great guy who treats me well and is very adopting of my brave spirit,” noting that she fell in love with him for “how bold he is in what he does.”
Alma added that while she knew that Ham would be doing performance art on his trip, she didn’t know he would be raising money for a ring.
Ham will return to New York City on the same corner of East Houston and Lafayette streets in NoHo on April 29 through May 4 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. local time each day, per The Post.
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