The Final Bid | FAQs

The Final Bidchallenges our consistent desire to buy new things. The visually striking installation by artist Michael Pinsky is powered by a live online auction inviting people to bid on a selection of chairs personally contributed by members of the public.  

Suspended from the gallery ceiling, the chairs rise in response to the value of each bid - becoming part of a moving sculpture before eventually moving on to new homes.

The idea behind this installation is not to always buy new things, but rather used ones. The chairs are therefore symbolic of all consumer goods, as these make up the largest part of our personal carbon footprint.

Many people from across the UK have given us their used chairs for this installation. The chairs are for sale via auction, and MAC’s First Floor Gallery acts as a showroom for the duration of the exhibition. 

We were thrilled with the public response to our call out, which resulted in a delightfully eclectic range of chairs. From older chairs with rich histories or emotional value, to modern contemporary designs and much-loved family heirlooms – they came in all shapes and sizes.

You can find out more about each chair via the auction website, thefinalbid.co.uk.  

Visit the auction platform on our website or bid in-person via the iPad in MAC’s First Floor Gallery. Bidding is open 24/7 and can be viewed via a live stream at thefinalbid.co.uk. 

• Click on the chair you’re interested in. You will then see the current bid, a box to enter the value of your bid and further information about the chair, including its history.
   
• Click on the plus icon (+) next to the bid box until the value you wish to bid is displayed. You can reduce the amount of your bid by clicking on the minus icon (-). 
   
• Click on the bid button and confirm your bid by entering your name and email address. 
   
• After you have accepted MAC’s privacy policy, terms and conditions and confirmed your bid, you will be shown a unique bid reference number on your screen, which you should make a note of. You can use this number to retrieve the details of your bid at any time via thefinalbid.co.uk. Alternatively, the information can be downloaded as a PDF. In MAC’s First Floor Gallery, you can download this via a QR code which is shown on screen. Please note, you will not receive an automatic email confirmation.  

If you are the highest bidder after the auction closes, at 5pm on Sun 4 October 2026, we will contact you to process your purchase and provide information on how to collect your chair.  

There are two tablets in the gallery showing a section-based view with a preview function. 

With the tablet version, you can set the chairs in motion without having to commit to a bid. 

There is no limit on how much you can bid and we will be accepting all bids until 5pm, Sun 4 October.  However, all bids are expected to reflect a genuine intention to complete the purchase. We reserve the right to review and, if necessary, disregard unusually large or suspicious bids (for example, significantly above market expectations) where there is reason to believe they are not made in good faith. This ensures a fair process for all participants and protects serious bidders. 

There are no automated notifications or alerts if you have been outbid.

Your submitted bid/s can be tracked by entering your unique bid reference number/s on thefinalbid.co.uk (see above). The website will display the latest bid amount on each chair. If this exceeds the amount you submitted, you have been outbid.  

The auction ends on Sunday 4 October 2026 at 5pm. Until then, you can still place bids on any chair. The installation will reset itself every night. This means that even if a chair rises all the way to the ceiling during the day, it will be repositioned overnight.

Each time it resets, the chairs are adjusted in relation to one another based on the current bids. For example, if one chair has reached the ceiling while others sit halfway up, the highest chair will be lowered and the others will shift accordingly, maintaining their relative positions. This ensures that the overall display remains balanced, and that all chairs stay visible as bidding continues. 

The auction ends on Sun 4 October 2026 at 5pm. No further bids can be submitted or considered after this time. 

At the end of the auction, MAC will contact winning bidders and chair owners about the next steps. 

After the auction ends, MAC will contact the highest bidder by email or phone to arrange payment. Payment will be taken by card over the phone. We will also provide details about collecting your chair at that time.

If you cannot collect your chair from MAC in person, we can discuss alternative arrangements. If a chair needs to be shipped, the shipping costs will be added to the purchase price. 

If a chair has been bid on and sold during the exhibition, the chair donor can choose to either keep the proceeds or donate the value to MAC once the exhibition closes. As a registered charity, we rely on the generosity of our supporters to deliver life-changing creative opportunities within our community.  

MAC will return unwanted chairs to the original donors, or dispose of them sustainably.  

Chairs can be collected during an exclusive event for chair donors and winning bidders on Sun 8 November 2026. If you can’t collect on that date, we will arrange a collection date with you directly.