History Zero comprises a film of three episodes alongside an archive of text and images that was originally commissioned for the Greek Pavilion of the 55th Venice Biennale. The film questions the value of money and the role it plays in the formation of human relationships by depicting the experiences of three very different people: an elderly art collector suffering from dementia, an immigrant searching the streets for scrap metal, and an artist taking snapshots of the city, looking for inspiration. Accompanying this film is an archive of examples and evidence from various models of alternative, non-monetary exchange systems. Rather than simply documenting these models, the archive stands as a political statement proposing a reformation towards autonomous communal patterns and forms of survival and resistance. This archive is presented in a sculptural form for the first time, hand carved by the craftsmen at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar who are also looking for alternative forms of survival away from mass production and holding on to the heritage of the Philippines through their unique creations. The project helps us think about how value changes over time and how we can reconsider alternative forms of exchange in this time of financial uncertainty (be it the Greek Economy, demonetization in India, Brexit, or any other recent events which have drastically revalued traditional forms of currency).
Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar
Featuring: Stefanos Tsivopoulos
