The new phenomenon of the ‘flash mob’ – a planned gathering of random individuals who proceed to do something bizarre but harmless in a public place – is certainly a sign of the times. But is it art? Certainly, the activities of most flash mobs are no stranger than the work of some performance artists. Or maybe it’s the most basic form of political organizing – after all, the mobs are organized by e-mail, and bring together like-minded people from disparate walks of life. Or, is the flash mob nothing more than this era’s obnoxious public fad, like streaking, or running onto a baseball field during the game?