TY - ADVS
T1 - Limits to Growth (Part 2) Numismatics: A Study of Dead and Dying Currencies and the True Value of Waste
A2 - Mangan, Nicholas
N1 - 5 X Antminer S7 ASIC miners, 2 x fans, HP 44” plotter printer, 55” LED monitor, HD video, sound
Curators: Binna Choi and Maria Lind with assistant curators Azar Mahmoudian, Margarida Mendes, and Michelle Wong
Commissioned for the '11th Gwangju Biennale: The Eighth Climate (What Does Art Do?)'
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - Research BackgroundNicholas Mangan’s Limits for Growth Part 2 (Numismatics: a study of dead and dying currencies and the true value of waste) was commissioned for the 11th Gwangju Biennale in 2016. Building on his major research project Limits for Growth, ‘Part 2’ interrogates modes of financial exchange through digital technologies, while reflecting on low-tech currencies such as the large stone coin known as Rai, a form of money previously used in Micronesia. Mangan further investigated Rai to see what else this history could reveal about contemporary currency.Research Contribution Mangan focused on a narrative from 1871, when shipwrecked immigrant David O’Keefe arrived in Yap, Micronesia. O’Keefe convinced the Yapese to trade coconut meat in exchange for a sea vessel and tools to transport and produce more of their Rai stones. These changes proliferated the stones’ creation at such a rate that it subjected Rai to dramatic inflation. For the Biennale, Mangan developed a methodology that translates parts of this history into a sculptural and photographic framework. Mangan installed a printer which reproduced images of the Rai exponentially faster and cheaper than ‘Part 1’, which had 6 analogue photographs. This new digital method yielded 150+ images, acting as a microcosm for the inflation rates caused by O’Keefe and commenting on the turbulent fluctuation of currency and cryptocurrency today. Research SignificanceThe Biennale was curated by greatly respected curators Binna Choi and Maria Lind and ‘Part 2’ was listed as a highlight in internationally significant publication ‘Frieze’. In 2017 it was included in solo exhibition Limits to Growth, KW Institut, Berlin and group exhibitions, Manipulate the World, Moderna Museet, Stockholm and The National, at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW). AGNSW commissioned and acquired a new filmic component. 'Part 2' received widespread critical acclaim, including reviews in Berlin Artlink, EyeContact, and ArtReview. The work was partially funded by Creative Victoria.
AB - Research BackgroundNicholas Mangan’s Limits for Growth Part 2 (Numismatics: a study of dead and dying currencies and the true value of waste) was commissioned for the 11th Gwangju Biennale in 2016. Building on his major research project Limits for Growth, ‘Part 2’ interrogates modes of financial exchange through digital technologies, while reflecting on low-tech currencies such as the large stone coin known as Rai, a form of money previously used in Micronesia. Mangan further investigated Rai to see what else this history could reveal about contemporary currency.Research Contribution Mangan focused on a narrative from 1871, when shipwrecked immigrant David O’Keefe arrived in Yap, Micronesia. O’Keefe convinced the Yapese to trade coconut meat in exchange for a sea vessel and tools to transport and produce more of their Rai stones. These changes proliferated the stones’ creation at such a rate that it subjected Rai to dramatic inflation. For the Biennale, Mangan developed a methodology that translates parts of this history into a sculptural and photographic framework. Mangan installed a printer which reproduced images of the Rai exponentially faster and cheaper than ‘Part 1’, which had 6 analogue photographs. This new digital method yielded 150+ images, acting as a microcosm for the inflation rates caused by O’Keefe and commenting on the turbulent fluctuation of currency and cryptocurrency today. Research SignificanceThe Biennale was curated by greatly respected curators Binna Choi and Maria Lind and ‘Part 2’ was listed as a highlight in internationally significant publication ‘Frieze’. In 2017 it was included in solo exhibition Limits to Growth, KW Institut, Berlin and group exhibitions, Manipulate the World, Moderna Museet, Stockholm and The National, at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW). AGNSW commissioned and acquired a new filmic component. 'Part 2' received widespread critical acclaim, including reviews in Berlin Artlink, EyeContact, and ArtReview. The work was partially funded by Creative Victoria.
M3 - Commissioned or Visual Artwork
PB - The Gwangju Bienniale
CY - Gwangju, South Korea
T2 - 11th Gwangju Biennale: The Eight Climate (What Does Art Do?)
Y2 - 2 September 2016 through 6 November 2016
ER -