The 17th century 'TulipoMania' of the Dutch Golden Age valued the imported tulip bulbs in such a delusional state that finally led to its market collapse. Tulip as commodity, garlic as stinky roses, money grows in the soil. WE GROW MONEY investigates citizens', artists' and cultural workers’ intervention of established currency system including punk Austria’s Der Gibling, L’afro for the African continent and UK’s Lewes Pounds. Print your own money, spend it locally, money grows money.
The credit trading system is activated particularly in times of economic crises. WE EAT MONEY proposes a moneyless state – Mercados de trueque (barter markets) in 1990’s Argentina; community run time banks in Greece; Dinero Gratis by Las Agencias in Spain. While neosurvivalist meets post-monetarist, the group Économie solidaire de l'art examines the economic situations of independent artists and professionals in France.
As we arrive at the age of network banking, we review the pro and con of Internet economies and imagine the post-Internet future of money. Following Jaromil’s declaration of “Bitcoin, the end of the Taboo on Money”, WE SHIT MONEY accepts an exchange rate in constant fluctuation as we embrace the open source sprouting of ‘alt-coins’ (the alternative crypto-currencies).
This MCD#76 issue commissions 33 articles with Anne-Cécile Worms as publisher, Shu Lea Cheang as guest chief editor and Annick Rivoire as editorial advisor. The English online version priced at 9 euro can be downloaded at www.digitalmcd.com.