Queer Economy

Performance Installation, 2023
RMIT University

Queer Economy is a playful and satirical exploration of the market concept. It offers alternative systems and market research while also serving as an imaginary economy. Franco Berardi(2021) wrote, “in the mediated imagery of contemporary cultural landscape, we can barely choose what to think about, what talk about, what to fantasise about.” The market seems full of options, but our freedom of choice is limited. The importance of what and why information is communicated within the market becomes evident. The relegation of certain information and stories to irrelevance reflects our underlying value and belief systems The project aims to provide a space where a broad spectrum of information and narratives can be acknowledged.

To create the Bazaar, I spent three weeks collecting cardboard boxes from the Queen Victoria Market. I also gathered disregarded materials from the streets, such as paper signs and timber. Drawing inspiration from my photo archive of the [street language]. The resulting assemblage, located in the Design Hub, incorporates layered meanings and learnings. Embracing comedy and wordplay to create puns. While I find it challenging to describe the project using academic language, it is an intentional choice as the essence of the work defies a clear structure. It resides in the liminal space between the market and the non-market, embodying a paradoxical nature.

A BAG OF MOULDY RASPBERRIES

Inter-species interactions [happen] in the most unexpected and intimate way. Moulds contaminate the value of food. I had purchased a box of raspberries from the market but left it in the fridge for too long causing the moulds to grow. Typically, I wouldn't hesitate to discard expired food, but this time I hesitated. In a human-centered narrative, decaying raspberries are seen as reaching the end of their life cycle. However, microorganisms play a crucial role in breaking down organic matter, performing their labour selflessly without demanding payment. While they are [objects of abjection], their labour is [selfless]. Within capitalism, [things] that don’t have a price are often deemed worthless. (Varoufakis 2017)

SPROUTING POTATOES

What is the value of a sprouted potato? I have spent a lot of time with potatoes, and realized they are rebellious; they sprout to unbecoming food. When potatoes lose value in human-centric context, they are free from capitalism and modern agricultural. Sara Ahmed (2019) noted, the more something is used, the less value it often holds, as value is often based on extraction and immediacy. Thus, encountering contamination asks us to consider how we can embrace the diversity of values that may initially seem distant.