Shopping and Living
Installation, 2009
The Empty Credit Cards
Objects, 2009
In every joke there is a little truth, they say. As time goes by, the truth expands and the joke does not seem funny anymore. In this case the aim is to depict the transformation of a verbal expression as it turns into a solid object. People here often say ‘my card is empty’ to describe their economic circumstances. It shows that the resources of virtual money are not available and acts as an example of visual thinking; it is easier to characterise the situation with a visual example than to give a detailed description and state the reasons. Furthermore, it allows you avoid the frank and unpleasant statement, ‘I have no money’. In this way, the plastic card has influenced the colloquial speech – ‘put money on the card’, ‘take money from the card’, top up the card’. In addition, it has an impact on our space of living and the speed of processes in this space. The fact that the ‘card is empty’ directly influences the dimensions of that space and can be compared to empty commercial premises, to the former shops and shops-to-be. The amount of activities and opportunities in the deserted building is approaching zero, offering space and time to contemplate the little, transparent piece of plastic.