The Soup

Someone left their can at the UCA:

It's a BIG CAN!

It's a SIGNED CAN!

Apparently Andy Warhol signed a can in Fort Collins

There could be a Universal Product Code (UPC) Bar Code on the back!

Not So! The Code 128 for the eight digits might look like this.

The UPC bar code system started in the US around 1973. The code at the time contained 12 digits, not 8. The actual UPC bar code number for Campbells tomato soup is 051000000118, so some artistic license could be expected, especially since bar codes were still considered new even in 1981.
Could the bar code on the can actually MEAN SOMETHING? Maybe. Just to be sure, I printed a copy of the back of the can and went to the local King Soopers grocery store to find out. I found a stock-person in the back of the store with a portable bar code scanner. He tried several times to scan the bar code (using auto discriminate mode) to no avail. So, the bar code on the can is either simply an artist's random pattern of lines or specific instructions for space aliens on how and when to attack. I may have to investigate further!