Reflections – Bartering experiment: Suitcase Economy at Art Rotterdam

For Kunstinstituut Melly’s participation in Reflections, artist Riet Wijnen brings the experimental canteen Suitcase Economy to the fair.

Suitcase Economy is a testing ground for experimenting with relationships, translation, economic models, and time through the bartering, preparation and serving of food. Through this year-long project, Riet is developing a method to build connections between different local daily contexts, past and present, by researching local preservation and fermentation histories. She is currently focussing on Limburg, a province in the south of the Netherlands, South Korea and South Africa; in these two countries collaborates determine the specific locations.

This centuries-old practice of extending the lifespan of agricultural products through fermentation and preservation is evident in various cultures' practices. As people moved around, these preservation and fermentation methods spread and evolved. For example, sauerkraut is based on the Chinese tradition of preserving cabbage in rice wine. These methods were developed when people were largely self-sufficient, relying on informal barter economies to provide themselves with food year-round.

The testing ground of Suitcase Economy is extended to the fair. Visitors are invited to bring homemade preserved and fermented goods, ingredients for culturally specific dishes, recipes, cookbooks or money, whilst Riet will bring Suitcase Economy staples such as lemon marmalade, elderflower and rhubarb syrup. This will be the starting point for negotiating an exchange, experimenting with collapsing economic models and discussing value.