TUE, 17 April 2018
Poligon Creative Centre, Ljubljana

MoneyLab is a network of artists, activists, geeks and researchers established in 2013 by the Amsterdam-based Institute of Network Cultures. It asks a simple question: How are artists or content producers, which really includes everyone, going to make a living from their work in the 21st century? According to Silicon Valley, we aren’t – we are going to be forced to give all creative products away for free, in exchange for “attention” on social media (while Facebook and Google make billions through ads and selling your private data). In response to the 2008 global financial crisis, “crypto currencies” (such as Bitcoin) arose to bypass both banks and tech giants. Money is exchanged via mobile phones. We join crowdfunding campaigns and experiment (again) with subscription-based services. What is the politics behind all these new services? How do artists relate to these new network architectures? How should we read the current hype? Are these services really decentralized as they claim? How many of us can read the rightwing libertarian values inside the digital money protocols? Who are the new power players? Let us join the debate. Money has been digital for decades. It is now becoming inseparable from the internet. If neither Wall St. nor Silicon Valley will be the winner of this game, then who will?