In our information society, dominated by digital capitalism and immaterial labor, money flows silently through the virtual world of transnational networks. On the other side of this hygienic landscape, “money doesn’t talk, it swears”: paper money still circulates feverishly in most developing countries and handling it is dirty and noisy. As inflation constantly increases the need for more “monetary units”, buying foreign currency has become the preferred savings plan for many, favoring the appearance of businesses that offer currency exchange at black market rates. In Buenos Aires, these businesses are known as “cuevas” (caves) and their employees as “arbolitos” (small trees): people on the streets offering illegal currency exchange out loud.

MESA DE DINERO [MONEY DESK] is a sound performance that reflects on the materiality of money, informal economy and the market’s speculative volatility through performance, field recordings and real time audio processing. It uses three bill counter machines manipulated by two performers, and a network of contact, electromagnetic and condenser microphones processed in real time by the SuperCollider software.

The performers use the artist’s fee in cash to activate the different sensors, alarms, rollers and motors of the machines and create the raw sonic material. Among other actions, they repeatedly feed a machine with defective bills (setting off alarms), try to outrun each other as they count or hold on tight to one bill as the feeding roller tries to take it (producing a chainsaw-like sound). The computer takes these sounds and amplifies, transforms and spatializes them in real time, mixing them with field recordings of “arbolitos” luring customers into their caves.

MESA DE DINERO [MONEY DESK] explores the symbolic universe of market economy through its everyday sonic materials and linguistic expressions, creating an eerie soundscape out of the beeps and roars of bill counters: the minimal technological expression of the financial system.

 

link to another short video on instagram

CREDITS

Performers

PABLO CHIMENTI

NICOLAS VARCHAUSKY

Costume Design

KOSTÜME

Photos

FEDERICO KAPLUN

Video

CCK

Curator

RODRIGO ALONSO

Materials

BILL COUNTER MACHINES, CONTACT MICS, ELECTROMAGNETIC MICS, CONDENSER MICS, REAL TIME AUDIO PROCESSING, COMPUTER, SOUND CARD, AR$20000 in CASH.

Commissioned by CCK Centro Cultural Kirchner. Part of the collective Exhibition “El Centro en Movimiento 2. Máquinas e imaginarios” (The Moving Center 2. Machines and imaginaries), curated by Rodrigo Alonso.

With support from Programa de Investigación I+D Sistemas Temporales y Síntesis Espacial en el Arte Sonoro (Escuela Universitaria de Artes – Universidad Nacional de Quilmes)

With thanks to Kostüme, Pablo Chimenti, Rodrigo Alonso and Teresa Riccardi.

Performed on February 24th and 25th, 2018 at Terraza de la Sala Sinfónica, CCK Centro Cultural Kirchner, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Also performed at SONICA on November 2nd, 2019 at The Art School, Glasgow with local performer Ceylan Hay.

All music composed by Nicolás Varchausky © 2018.