Big Hope
TALKING ABOUT ECONOMY

There are no serious "theoretical foundations" for any of the versions of globalization, including the investor-rights versions. The international economy is far too poorly understood for there to be systematic "theories" in any serious sense.
Noam Chomsky

Thinking and talking about economy is increasingly becoming the exclusive business of political-professional 'experts'. Through this the question is gradually losing its philosophical aspect and becoming alienated from everyday life. As a consequence of the propaganda generated by the 'experts', economy is largely perceived of as a complex entity that stands for itself, which the outside public are unable to comprehend or control. The project 'Talking about Economy' is intended to challenge this position.

Starting from our base in Hungary, awaiting entry into an expanded European Union, we initiated a dialogue with 10 economic players from Dunaujvaros, an example of a utopian Socialist 'new town' built in the 1950's around an ironworks whose economic future now hangs in the balance, depending on EU inclusion. Each person represented different spheres of economic life, and was asked about their personal concepts of economy and work and how they see those in respect to a future in an expanded EU. The often banal, often unsure, and also often very strong statements given by the participants are able to strengthen the notion of independence and personal resistance.

We intend to find people engaged in similar employment in Berlin so that they can be added to an expanding pool of participants who can contribute to a virtual dialogue. The resulting material will be presented in Sparwasser HQ as a video installation and wall painting with text

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