Techné Institute for Arts and Emerging Technologies: DAI core tutor Renée Ridgway recently took part in the 3-day colloquium 'Performing Economies'
Performing Economies investigated the renewed interest in alternative economic models that has emerged in response to the devastating effects of the global economic downturn, juxtaposing concerns for financial viability with the value of cultural activity and the necessity for environmental sustainability. Grounded in an examination of contemporary iterations of historical alternatives to capitalist modes of exchange, guest speakers Silvia Federici and Renée Ridgway considered the political and social dimensions of systems of barter and the commons.
Renée Ridgway showed research and images of a recent project that uses the 17th century trade triangle (Beaver, Wampum, Hoes) as a basis to explore the lasting effects of colonization and the exchange of commodities, bodies and sovereign land. She focused specifically on the contemporary functions of 'wampum', as a sacred economy for indigenous peoples along with its use as an ersatz currency for the colonists.
Silvia Federici discussed her work on the politics of the commons and the significance of gender and feminized labor in the production and reproduction of social structures and movements that are aimed at non-capitalist forms of relation.