Creating a Social Currency

The lack of interaction and conversation between people is a problem of our time. Exploring this idea of 'social poverty' as the impetus for a new form of currency or exchange, I investigate the modes of exchange through activities such as the preparation of food within the kitchen environment. Using food as a currency and conversation as the exchange, we can reframe our innate need to acquire more, as a way to generate discursive exchange. Through modifying such objects like pasta machine for example we can use conversation as an input (our exchange) and the output is the fresh pasta (our currency). Looking at meal preparation and the coming together as a family or friends, we can begin to see how sharing information for food may reduce social poverty and begin to create a beneficial behaviour change.

So what is social poverty ?

Social poverty is a phrase deemed by an alternative currency group called time bank. It refers to the lack of social interaction between people. So individuals who are poor in interaction and socialising rather than being poor in regards to a finicial circumstance.

Social currency

My project is based around exchange and the social exchange of information from one person to another, This project was about creating a social currency that could be beneficial for both participating parties but at the same time reward both parties with a thing they needed rather than thing they wanted in this case we are using food. This is all in an aim to reduce an issue referred to as social poverty.

Place the flour in a food processor and pulse it. Add the whole egg and egg yolk and keep whizzing until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (it shouldn't be dusty, nor should it be a big, gooey ball). This takes 2-3 minutes.

Tip out the dough and knead to form into a ball shape. Knead it briskly for 1 minute, it should be quite stiff and hard to knead. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in a cool place for 1 hour before using.

Now cut the dough into 2 pieces. For each piece, flatten with a rolling pin to about 5mm/¼ in) thickness. Fold over the dough and pass it through the pasta machine at its widest setting, refolding and rolling 7 times (not changing the setting) until you have a rectangular shape 7.5x18cm/3x7 in. It is important to work the dough until it is nice and shiny, as this gives it the "al dente" texture. Repeat with the second piece of dough

The role of the machine.

The role of the machine is to moniter the sound in a social situation within a space. This example is directed towards the kitchen environment. The kitchen can be seen as the heart of the home with the most social encounters happening within this space. The machine works on a very simple premise which is in order to eat you need to converse, be social and engauge with others.

The machine respondes to sound and the variables are tone, pitch and length of sound be generated. Sound is created through speach regardless of your age, primary language or capability. This way of creating food reduces exclusion of others and aims to create a slight benifical behaviour change.