Curator
human, 0002035 C.E.
early-Anthropocene
Currency
c. 21st century
Bath and North East Somerset, England
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This is a selection of assorted miscellaneous objects that have been accumulated by a collector, probably in the 19th century. There is evidence of manufacture methods present that adhere to modern means, in addition to new materials from the 21st century, so it is likely that these objects were sent back in time from the future. Inside the box they were found in (not pictured) there is additional evidence to support the idea these objects were in circulation as part of a new global 'currency'; a paper document with many pages of diagrams and mathematical charts for interpretation of value. The guide appears to be for an advanced form of bartering, although the majority of transactions discussed therein are admittedly for their own sake as opposed to for the trade of survival goods. The discussion around trade itself appears to have become more valuable than the content itself according to the guide. With the rise and fall of the Zimbabwean dollar in recent years, making the currency extremely unreliable, anthropologists are speculating that a new value system might be eventually adopted - perhaps initially out of necessity, but which has later evolved into a more open discussion of 'value' that is participated in by almost everyone in the marketplace.
References to the capitalist model are sparse in this comprehensive guide and for all intents and purposes, our contemporary monetary system appears to have fallen into disuse.
How this 'new model' functions is the source of much speculation.
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MB 2833.3
artist/creator
Blythe Cheung and Ivan Kashdan-Brown
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