‘What is an object worth? How much do you want it and what are you prepared to give in return? ‘
‘The very act of bartering adds an emotional reality to the process of exchange that currency somehow lacks.’
Kate Murdoch, 2008
10×10 explores the theme of value and worth. An ongoing project, it was launched in 2008, a year fraught with financial challenges as the stock market crashed spectacularly, the worst market fall since 1929.
The 10×10 project consists of an ever-changing display of 100 objects. Wherever it goes, people are asked to take one item and leave something in its place. To date, only one of the original objects has stayed in the cabinet – others have been exchanged over and over again and the overall appearance of the cabinet has changed dramatically since I first put up my own 100 objects for exchange, fifteen years ago.
The last exchange event was at the Firstsite gallery in Colchester in 2015. Eight years on and in just eight days time, I’ll be reintroducing 10×10 as part of the Deptford X Arts Festival in London, SE8. Given that ill health prevented me from presenting it in 2018, I am very excited to be a part of this year’s Deptford X fringe festival, with 10×10 being included as part of a group show in the ArtHub, London gallery.
I’ve written a lot about 10×10 in this blog since it was first launched. I’ve also had a lot of conversations with people about the many different aspects of the project over the past fifteen years. As well as ‘a comment on humanity’ a phrase given to me by a friend at the very start, the theme of value and worth is ever present in 10×10. I’ve been reminded of a conversation I had with artist/curator, Jane Boyer way back in 2012, in relation to this.
‘What is an object worth to you?’ is a question I ask in text I’ve written about 10×10 – the narrative around the candle exchange sums up the question of value and worth perfectly, I think.
Below is an extract from my conversation with Jane in 2012, a conversation that came about in response to the ‘This Me of Mine’ ACE funded group exhibition:
JB: In your blog Keeping it Going on a-n Artists Talking, you speak about value, both the perceived value of an object which you have made available for your audience to take (Going for Gold) or the associated value to exchange with something of similar value (10 x 10). It could be said the value we associate with an object is in relation to the depth of emotion we experience in any given situation. Do you feel this to be true and what have you observed about this relationship through the interactive aspect of your work?
KM: I’m not sure there’s a definitive answer to this question but in terms of my observations of how the majority of people have interacted with 10×10 so far, then yes, I would say it is true. The emotional attachment we make to any given object can determine its worth in emotional terms as opposed to its monetary value. The very act of bartering adds an emotional reality to the process of exchange that currency somehow lacks. ‘What is an object worth to you?’ is one of the main questions posed by 10×10. ‘How much do you want it and what are you prepared to give in exchange?’
I can give you many good examples of the varying degrees of value and worth; they are contained in the stories people leave behind when they give their objects up for exchange. The woman who gave up a genuine diamond bracelet at the launch of 10×10 for instance demonstrates a really good example of value and worth. On the face of it, the value of a real diamond was high; from her story however, it was clear that the bracelet, in spite of its monetary worth, had become of little personal value to her.
An exchange made by an international student at Lewisham College has an equally poignant ring to it. He exchanged a small candle stub for a larger, unused candle. Living on a very tight budget in order to afford college fees, this student told me that he was doing his best to avoid having to pay for electricity. It was a practical exchange, then on one level – a used-up candle for one with many burning hours – but in terms of value in this case, the new candle represented a kind of life-saver for him.
