Week 3- Fiona Hall's work and Mercantillism
' Leaf Litter' (1999-2003)
'Tender' (2003-05)
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.
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.
Mercantilism is a word which i think covers the meaning of power, money and desire. Both pictures highlight the object - money. Money is the main object which creating different lifestyles.The leaf symbolises a strong links between different countries,economy from different country is linked up, economy development is not independent this century and that's why currency exists. Back to the Renaissance, gold is what people use as a tool of exchange things, gold is the sign of wealth,each country has their own role of using gold, but in today's century, each country has its own special notes&coins, but currency is the key to convert money of different countries. The artwork 'Tender' uses real American dollars could have different meanings, it could shows how wealth the people in country are that notes can be used as a materiel in an art work just as a materiel, but if you use these note as money itself, this amount can be a big donation to the poor kids somewhere around this planet.
ReplyDeleteMercantilism is economic system which has to increase wealth by government. The two sculptures are made of money in this way she show the mercantilism.In the first sculpture 'Tender' she use 183 banknotes drawn with painstaking botanical accuracy to create a collection of bird nests. They are put into glass cases with each species’ nest labelled with its scientific name on the front of the case, the banknotes’ serial numbers listed on the back.
ReplyDeleteI am interested in your posting in particular Tender of Fiona Hall’s artefact. I would like to add some other points of it. Tender made from shredded US dollar bills in forms of fragile bird nest. I was curious about why she trying to link between bill and nest. Money which is common thing in her work is the important part of our lives and bird nest can be a sign of organism. It is apparent that money has enhanced the good quality of our lives. However, it brings some drawbacks either. Looking great in the world is also good but many people try to destroy environment for it. Hence, Money is a good tool as the development of environment but also it requires to us spending money well. By understanding her work we can realise that we need to spend money effectively and efficiently.
ReplyDeleteHey Emma
ReplyDeleteInteresting works you had to research, I quite like the double entendre in the title of her work that you pointed out, quite interesting. I think that at heart money is a good system of organisation and a way of exchange of goods and services, however its when you add debt and loans to the calculation that things get corrupt, as we see in the modern world. The movie we watched a part of in ALVC; Zeitgeist, provides some valuable insight into the monetary system and the corruption it entails and I think its these motives that Fiona Hall tried to encapsulate in her work.
What is Mercantilism and how it has developed since the Renaissance?
ReplyDeleteMercantilism is an economic theory, thought to be a form of economic nationalism,[1] that holds that the prosperity of a nation is dependent upon its supply of capital, and that the global volume of international trade is "unchangeable". Economic assets (or capital) are represented by bullion (gold, silver, and trade value) held by the state, which is best increased through a positive balance of trade with other nations (exports minus imports).
The theory assumes that wealth and monetary assets are identical. Mercantilism suggests that the ruling government should advance these goals by playing a protectionist role in the economy by encouraging exports and discouraging imports, notably through the use of tariffs and subsidies.[2] The theory dominated Western European economic policies from the 16th to the late-18th century.[1]
In"Leaf Litter' (1999-2003)" I can see While money is the bottom line in our contemporary economy and overrides crucial environmental concerns, plants are often the raw material for generating income (and money, made from paper, is also produced from plants). Fiona Hall’s witty and elegant work captures this perfectly.
Russell Storer, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, 2000
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercantilism
http://nga.gov.au/Federation/Detail.cfm?WorkID=26201