Stage 8
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To Perform Currencies of Beauty

Kurzthese

From Faircoin to Climatecoin, over 3000 digital currencies saw the light of day last year. In most cases not only monetary but also "ethical units" are exchanged.
What is it like in the world of the arts? The tension rift between money and art produced some pioneering varieties of “performing” money. But can the complex negotiations about the value of an artistic work be taken into account by currencies of beauty?

Beschreibung

Conventional money is indifferent, arts and culture are not. On the contrary: art makes very concrete differences, it negotiates and shows differences. It establishes (naturally differentiated) relationships between artists and those who experience art. But when indifferent money determines so many of our own experiences of action and agency in the world - then the differentiated experience of life must be formed through art, culture and beauty in contrast to the indifference of the world of money. People create culture, make art and use art and need art in order to follow the urge of self - expression.

Case Study

Let us assume that several transparent standards for ethically acceptable digital currencies (the “currencies of beauty”) have been established, not only climate neutral, free of discrimination, child labour, arms trafficking, etc. but also with anti-colonialist redistribution keys or similar approaches.

Many artists, institutions, trading platforms, etc. implement these currencies in their self-marketing. (Artists* have always taken on pioneering roles here, current examples include Jonas Lund with the Jonas Lund Token). Whether tickets to the HAU or the Berghain, live streams from the Beyonce concert, the next Netflix-like platform, the "good" Amazon alternative, all operate with their own currencies, which are subject to transparent, trust-replacing standards and can easily be traded with each other. And they open up doors for all kinds of artistic collaboration and influence in each of the artists work via the exchange of “currencies of beauty”.

Many people earn these currencies in these organizational alliances, but also with their streams, or with their performative work in computer games and computer worlds. They work in these flexible economic zones with people who are located all over the world but share their own values, goals and stories. Currencies are created and performed by free groups.