#nomoneyfun

[theerinscott]

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Umlauf Sculpture Garden-Running water #meditate

[atlastalisman]

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Dinner for a poster. #SouperMarket #Cleveland #DoTour #nomoneyfun #artascurrency

[atlastalisman]

Money-free exchange or begging? Having varying degrees of success with trading art/skills for resources. Last night's dinner was given more as a pity offering than a valued exchange. All part of assessing the worth people are willing to invest in the concept as it is currently being implemented. I can definitely see that this context; lone young man, back packing across the country and hitch-hiking for travel, easily slides into the nomad/wandering vagabond stereotype.

[atlastalisman]

I leave today. (Weds, 8th Oct, 2014)

I sit in a friend's home in New York and look at a Google Map line, effortlessly tracing its way from my location to my first destination, (New Orleans). It is very informative; distance and time are clearly laid out, but I know, within that blue line swims a river of human interactions and experiences. I laid everything out last night. Everything that I would be taking with me. I looked at it like my inventory screen in an adventure game. These were the pieces which would unlock the puzzle, or lead to more pieces... or puzzles?

I have listed below the full scope of my pack, (minus items of clothing), so as to share my journey with anyone who takes an interest. I hope these items will enable me to improve whatever situation I come across and will enable me to use my art as a currency as I launch into my first experience of traveling America.

Inventory:

Laptop. Phone. Photo I.D. Paper Map, (not yet acquired) Hat. Art Trading Cards. Deck of playing cards. Toy Ice Cream figure. Mini-projector. GOPro. Zoom field recorder. Sidewalk Chalk. Facepaint. Ukelele. Harmonica. Toiletries bag. First Aid Kit. Massage oil. Knife. Pliers. Torch x2. Carabiner x2 Packet of cable ties. Gaffa tape. Knot tying practice rope. Water bottle. Hammock. Umbrella. Books:    -Anastasia    -The Prophet    -Tattoo Basics    -Physical Computing    -Creative Mathematics.

[atlastalisman]

An initial response

Thank you so much for all the engagement! It is such an important idea to deconstruct, even if one is to then reconstruct it back into the same original form, to understand the systems we are living in is crucial to our responsible participation in them. I will attempt to briefly address some of the key questions raised now, but will go into more depth via the series of ‘Money Talks’ YouTube videos. Here are some of my views on the issues you’ve raised and perhaps a little more about how I intend to approach this lifestyle: Firstly – I love abundance. Nature is abundant, this Earth is voluminous and rich, this Universe endless… when did we get tricked into worrying about ‘running out’? True we may run out of drillable oil and such, ok but that’s primarily a problem for the current destructive system of transport and industry which digs and mines to power itself. There is plenty of space, of energy and billions of skilled minds and hands to build and maintain better, sybiotic systems. Maintaining the status quo is not an option, we are dragging heads along the pavement by continuing on this path, I’m just trying to build a better system before we run out of heads. So no, I do not wish to live simply; go back to the farm, disconnect, get ‘off the grid’. I totally support that lifestyle if one finds peace in that. It’s beautiful and I will spend some time doing that at some point, but Alpha and I are vivacious lovers of people, of action, of change, of interaction, of colours and flavours – I don’t want to live without ICE CREAM!!! If we are to establish a system that is a viable alternative to the current one, if we expect large numbers of people to transpose their life over into it, it needs to be attractive to the ‘fast food society’. Quick, easy, effective. I am not renouncing Capitalism nor championing a purely Gift economy. I want people to engage more sharing resources. To renounce the privatisation of resources and wealth would infer giving it all to the government to distribute? This would seem, to me, a further insulation/isolation. I do love Gifting, but this inherently has a giving ethos of outflow with no demand for immediate return. This could very well be incorporated into the functioning of the Resource Reservoir, but there is definitely also room for expecting immediate exchange of commensurate value. I am very inspired by the Zeitgeist movement and I know the ultimate message in that is to start the outward ripple by changing yourself, so that aligns with my perception. I am not however focused on exposing all the hidden warts of the complex political/religious/economic systems, (which very may well need to be revolted against), instead I’m championing the simplicity of the evident; of that which is right infront of us at ground level, were we not to view it through the filter of our education into the current mindset. Of you and I and every day people passing our resources around and I also want to include the PEOPLE who run companies, (I really want to get away from the idea of seeing companies as entities, PEOPLE run all these systems, sometimes it seems like we feel like we are subservient to some monster machines which somehow took over and now run everything with their ‘genius power’. Everything is just little 5 or 6 foot humans running around writing e-mails, flicking switches, turning wheels, when we’re not going to the toilet or working out what to have for dinner). I know the new system will truly take off when the people who run companies invest their companies resources in, or make them available to those engaging in the new system. I will address each theme as its own video, but want to close with an answer to one comment which asked “I think the Italian restaurant was awesome. Clearly wonderful people. My question is do you feel like you could go there repeatedly? Would there be an exchange eventually?”: Yes I could return to the restaurant who gave me food, on a regular basis, for there WAS exchange from the very first interaction. I didn’t go in there requesting a free meal. I went in and asked what he thought would be a fair exchange. He received the promotion of his restaurant on an FB page with 15,000 followers and mention on the same photographers Twitter feed, for a lunch that cost around $12. That’s a small payment for that kind of social media marketing which many businesses pay top dollar for. Were I to return I would exchange something else, one suggestion I had was to design him some signage, a menu or a flyer. I emphasise this for I know this will be one of the voices which decry my actions; that I am a drain on the system, that I am begging and getting by on people’s generosity. My answer to this is that I am giving the very same services and resources that people would be spending money on; he would have to take money from a customer, bank it, contact a designer/marketer, get a quote, pay for service and then receive the resource that I am directly exchanging for the meal. I am not taking anything out of the system, it remains INTACT. I am merely removing the nebulous sheet which hangs over it.

[atlastalisman]

As of 29th Sept 2014 I, Bravo Child, chose to no longer use money as a form of exchange, nor measure of value.  I believe it is an unnecessary complication and is part of a system which has created huge divides and inequalities in the distribution of resources. What we do in our daily lives is not always directly relatable to a monetary value yet many good deeds which improve conditions are contributed and should be a means for a 'livelihood'. Similarly, I believe, a budget allocation/restriction should never justify failing to distribute needed resources when we have them in surplus and the means to transport them.  When I use the word 'We', I refer to humankind. This is the greater 'I'. Whether we reference our knowledge of sociology, anthropology, psychology, chemistry, biology, environmental conditions or economics, (the branch of knowledge concerned with the production, consumption, and transfer of wealth), or purely our innate sense of balance and truth as an individual, we will see this connection and that the survival of a part is intricately woven to the survival of the whole. I propose building a new system of exchange based on resources and need alone. After covering the basics ie. every person having food and shelter, each individual is free to play the game how they wish, collecting as many resources as they care to, or strategising on their approach to exchange. Once in operation, this system will be like releasing a block in the circulation of the planet. Humanity will breathe a sigh of relief.

[hahagallerysouthampton]

TRAILER: Nomoneyfun

  LAUNCH PARTY: SATURDAY 20 SEPTEMBER, 6 - 9 PM, ALL WELCOME