Keep East-Europe happy!

Mare Tralla 2001, interactive object, LCD display and computer.

A “mat” made of Deutsche Mark, comprised of cables and textiles, lies on the floor. It reacts both to currency swings on the Internet and to the movements of people in the room. The people who attend the installation are responsible for keeping the German Mark stable and Eastern Europe happy.

Mare Tralla on the project:
When the former Soviet states began their economic reforms, they looked for the most secure currency in the world on which to base their future national currencies. Estonia chose the German Mark. Estonians have a long historic relation to Germany. Germany owned the land, and we were slaves. Now we continue our dependence on Germany through this connection between our currencies. When the economic reforms started, I lived on 200 Estonian crowns a month. Today, this is not enough to get you a meal at a mid-price restaurant in Tallinn. Then, one German Mark was worth 8 Estonian crowns; now, 10 years later, a German mark is still worth 8 Estonian crowns. What has changed? The other Eastern European states which share this dependence may not have the same historic relation to Germany, but for now, they also follow the rise and fall of the German Mark.

Mare Tralla, a.k.a. Disgusting Girl, b. 1967 in Tallinn, Estonia. Works and livesa in Tallinn and London, England. Professor at the E-Media Center at the State College of Art in Tallinn. Works with new media design in London. She works as an artist in all media, often organising entire events herself, such as the exhibition “Private Views,” a wandering exhibition with Estonian and British art. She is well represented on the web; a collection of her web art can be found at
http://www.artun.ee/~trimadu

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