swop project - swop book - radical software - circulations - story
space on gift economies - swop interviewarchive
- hidden flow shop - give away shop
swop 'hidden flow' shop
'hidden flow' project is based on the implications on the term 'ecological backpack', which was coined
by the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy. The ecological
backpack signifies the collected Material Intensity - raw material, fuel and
transport services- that has been taken into use when the material/product was
produced.
'hidden flow' currency
We have invented a currency, called the 'hidden flow' currency. It is based
on the notion of the 'ecological backpack'. At our space at Roarsvej and occasionally
at other spaces, we run a shop in which the currency is viable. The shop visitors
are requested to bring commodities which can be exchanged for the 'hidden flow'
currency.
An example
If someone hands in a t-shirt, weight 0,23 kilo, they will receive a 'hidden
flow' currency of 1544 kilo which is the collected amount of raw material, water
and air that has gone through the system when the cotton t-shirt was produced.
The Name - a contradiction
Because the material intensity is not to be found in the final product, and
never was introduced in the economic sphere, economists describe the ecological
backpack as hidden flows. We named the currency system “hidden flow”
to point out the contradiction within the term. In contrasts to the economists,
the people who are living where most of the world's raw materials are extracted
and goods are produced do not perceive the flow of production as hidden. On
the contrary it often has a
devastating impact on the environment and for the people living and working
in the production areas.
Sparwasser HQ, Berlin
Opening: July 31. from 7pm to 11 pm
August 4. - 28. 2004
pressrelease
swop network- initiated by Andrea Creutz and Lise Skou
is a platform for the production and dissemination of material and ideas surrounding
contemporary political, economic and social debate. The project investigates
the potential for local economic systems to impact global economy and advocate
for the egalitarian distribution of resources.
swop interview archive
The interviews in the sound archive are made with people involved in local alternatives
to the dominant monetary economy. The project is structured as a relay. It started
out with two interviews. At the end of every interview the interviewee is asked
to introduce two new persons to be interviewed next. In addition, they are asked
to exchange two of the ten initial questions. The structure in itself aim to
illustrate resistance to profitable systems, in the sense that it supports network
building, is anti-hierarchical, equally distributed as well as without copyright.
swop 'hidden flow' shop
The project is based on the implications of the term ecological backpack coined
by the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy. The "ecological
backpack", also called hidden flow, signifies the raw material, fuel and
transport services that has been used when the material /product was produced,
but is not to be found in the final product.
At Sparwasser HQ Creutz and Skou will arrange a 'hidden
flow' shop constructed by EU crates for transportation of commodities around
the world. Visitors are requested to bring commodities to the shop to be exchanged
for 'Hidden Flow' Currency which is viable in the shop. This currency,
introduced by the artists, is based on the notion of ecological backpack. E.g.
if you hand in a T-shirt weight 0.23 kilo you will receive a 1544 kilo 'Hidden
Flow' bill equivalent to the total amount of raw material, water and air that
has gone through the system when the cotton T-shirt was produced.The name of
the currency emphasizes the irony within the term hidden flow, as the process
is probably not perceived as very hidden for the people living in the areas
from where most of the materials are extracted.
Sources of information: Jakob Jespersen, NOAH; Wuppertal Institute.
THE HIDDEN FLOW SHOP and THE SOUND ARCHIVE
at HEAVEN, Stockholm
August 2004 Swop Network visited HEAVEN,
a process room for art, located in a former garage at
Hornstullstrand in Stockholm.
For this occasion we established The HIDDEN FLOW SHOP and presented The INTERVIEW ARCHIVE.
The shop visitors were requested to bring commodities which could be exchanged
for 'Hidden Flow'
Currency. The currency was viable in The HIDDEN FLOW SHOP during
opening hours:
10 am - 6 pm, August 17 through August 21.
We invited Karisha Salazar to hold an ASSEMBLAGE Workshop. Assemblage is a sculpture
technique
that can be used to question a products function as well as extend the products
life cycle.
As material for the workshop commodities from the HIDDEN FLOW SHOP was
used. When the Shop
was brought to a close the remaining products were donated to Salazar's workshops.