transacting at TransActions (The Weave Exchange)

transaction in progress

Belatedly sending off some text and images as feedback to the organisers of TransActions: the Market of Values (see previous post), which will be used in a forthcoming publication.

Below is a pre-edit preview of the questions I was asked to answer that will tell and show you how the event went last month...

a successful transaction

another successful transaction

what values did your store explore?

The store at #TransActing displayed a collection of stitched and woven objects, produced using locally sourced plant materials and yarn during Land of Plenty, a recent project with a community group based in Ghent. These objects were offered to visitors at the market on the provision an exchange was made for these in the form of another object, an instruction or a thought or story inspired by these. The idea with this scheme for transaction was to question the value of objects and making; the provenance of materials, finding sustainable ways of making work, the necessity for social interaction and exchange to determine the value and meaning of objects.

deliberating a transaction

a failed transaction

 what transactions did it feature?

A number of transactions involved exchanging instructions and drawings for some of the objects, but no new objects were made at the stall. Instructions included using some of the work as a cache-pots, using ‘Oya’ inspired crochet work as alternative for decorative glaze motifs on ceramic, using these also as stencils for printmaking and as templates for jewellery and other fashion accessories, including a wide brimmed hat from one of the larger and more colourful pieces on display.

a happy transactor

... and another!

 a thought or two about being part of #TransActions?

I was initially surprised at the fact that so few people engaged with making at the stall. Reflecting on this I think the market format for the event, with multiple stalls offering a whole range of opportunities for transacting, probably dictated a certain pace at which the transaction were made and prevented visitors investing much time making. This allowed for replacing objects with instructions, which is great; an idea for making something after all, as opposed to a showing a finished object, is full of promise and unexplored possibilities.

the transaction space