The archives and their value

This art installation explores the evolution of the concept of value throughout history, from traditional exchange systems to contemporary digital forms. Taking cowrie shells, gold weights, and other symbolic objects linked to ancient economies as its starting point, the work establishes a dialogue with cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and emerging technologies that are redefining our relationship to wealth, trust, and power.

Through a poetic, political, and spiritual approach, the project examines the invisible mechanisms that underpin value: collective belief, memory, narrative, and shared forms of legitimacy. It proposes considering the economy not only as a financial system, but as a symbolic language connecting individuals, communities, and their collective imagination.

Structured around three temporalities—past, present, and future—the installation combines objects, archival materials, soundscapes, digital data, and immersive experiences. This juxtaposition of material and virtual elements reveals the continuities between ancient forms of belief and new forms of technological faith.

The artwork thus invites the public to engage in a sensory and reflective experience, questioning what truly constitutes value in our societies and prompting reflection on the links between exchange, identity, collective memory, and spirituality.