Week 3- Fiona Hall's work and Mercantillism

Week 3- Fiona Hall's work and Mercantillism

' Leaf Litter' (1999-2003)








'Tender' (2003-05)

Fiona Hall'scontemporary work relates to the Renaissance concept of Mercantillism.

Research the two examples; 'Tender'(2003-05) and 'Leaf Litter'(1999-2003) to explain how they relate to this concept. First define mercantillism and explain how it has developed since the Renaissance. For each work you will need to describe the shape, form and materials of the work, and explain the ideas behind each example.
These works were part of an art show titled 'Force Field' which can be viewed in one of the exhibition spaces on Youtube - Part Three: Fiona Hall: Force Field.

How do they relate to the concept Mercantilism?

Money is the ultimate symbol of desire; it is what you create your life and lifestyle around; very few people can get by without any currency. The title ‘Tender’ was chosen because of its double meaning because of its relation to mercantilism and money. The word tender refers to a human’s emotional state but it’s a word also used to describe money (tender). Each note has written on it ‘this note is legal tender’ so there is a pun/ double meaning in the title of the artwork.

 

Define Mercantilism and explain how it has changed since the renaissance.

Definition of Mercantilism: Mercantilism is an early modern European economic and political system in which wealth and power were determined by possession of gold and a favorable balance of trade with each other.

Mercantilism has changed since the renaissance in the way that we no longer use gold as a sign of wealth. These days your wealth is transformed from the amount of gold you had to the number in your bank account.

 

For each artwork you will need to describe the shape, form and materials of the work.

In her artwork series 'Leaf Litter' Fiona Hall uses around 183 banknotes of different currencies. She then has painted very lightly using gouache paint to create an x-ray image of a leaf from where the banknote is from. The leaves are transparent to allow the viewer to see the banknotes underneath and to get the idea that the two are inter-linked. When she uses multiple banknotes they are stuck together using paper tape on the back to continue the picture as a whole. Leaf Litter shows how the global plantscape has been shaped by human economic “needs”.

 

The artwork ‘Tender’ is made from real shredded American dollars, if the artwork was in America then it would be highly a highly illegal artwork but because it is situated outside of America it is not illegal. Each note used in the artwork has a code on it; Fiona Hall took each of the codes on the different notes and has used each of the codes on the outside on the glass case that surrounds the artworks.