Week 3- Fiona Hall's work and Mercantillism

What is Mercantilism?

Mercantilism is economic nationalism for the purpose of building a wealthy and powerful state. The Concept of Mercantilism derives from the Latin word “mercor” – buy and “mercary” – develop trade. Though the theory existed earlier, the term was not coined until the 18th century; it was given currency by Adam Smith in his Wealth of Nations (1776).

“Mercantile system” to describe the system of political economy that sought to enrich the country by restraining imports and encouraging exports. The theory dominated in Western Europe especially in Holland, Italy, France, and England, from the 16th to the late-18th century. The goal of these policies was, to achieve balance of trade that would bring gold and silver into the country and also to maintain domestic employment. Mercantilist nations were impressed by the fact that the precious metals, especially gold, were in universal demand as the ready means of obtaining other commodities; hence they tended to identify money with wealth. As the best means of acquiring bullion, foreign trade was favored above domestic trade, and manufacturing or processing, which provided the goods for foreign trade, was favored at the expense of the extractive industries (e.g., agriculture). State action, an essential feature of the mercantile system, was used to accomplish its purposes. Under a mercantilist policy a nation sought to sell more than it bought so as to accumulate bullion. Besides bullion, raw materials for domestic manufacturers were also sought, and duties were levied on the importation of such goods in order to provide revenue for the government. The state exercised much control over economic life, chiefly through corporations and trading companies. Production was carefully regulated with the object of securing goods of high quality and low cost, thus enabling the nation to hold its place in foreign markets. Treaties were made to obtain exclusive trading privileges, and the commerce of colonies was exploited for the benefit of the mother country. As the classical economists were later to point out, however, even a successful mercantilism policy was not likely to be beneficial, because it produced an oversupply of money and, with it, serious inflation. Mercantilism ideas did not decline until the coming of the Industrial Revolution. Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and Oliver Cromwell, conformed their policies to mercantilism.

Fiona Hall

Fiona Hall was born in Sydney in 1953 and has exhibited extensively in Australia and internationally since the 1980s. Underpinned by her continuing investigation into the relationship between nature and culture, Hall's recent works seek connections between colonial history, global trade, consumerism and the environment. Hall's works are the result of a meticulous approach that is evident in the complexity of ideas contained within each work as much as their material construction.

Research the two examples: 'Tender' (2003-05) and 'Leaf Litter'(1999-2003) to explain how they relate to this concept.

Tender 2003-2005

In Tender, the artist's most recent work at the exhibition, the viewer is confronted with a large number of simulacra of birds' nests showed in a designed glass vitrine reminiscent of 19^th century museum display cases for ornithological specimens.

Each bird's nest is an exact replica of one belonging to a specific bird species, but on closer examination, one becomes aware that these nests are not constructed of straw and twigs, but are woven out of shredded US one dollar bills, where the words "this note is legal tender" can be deciphered. So a system of classifying nests from a natural environment collides with a monetary code suggesting that globalization and the US dollar are the most destructive environmental forces in the world today. The bird nests are devoid of birds and of life and resemble museum exponents of extinct species, so that the whole work can be interpreted as being about loss and absence. On each note has the phrase “This note if of Legal Tender”. One of the messages portrayed by this is one of the effects of modernization, the advance of global trade and spread of deforestation which is depriving many animals and humans of the environment.

Leaf litter 1999-2003

In Leaf litter, 1999-2003, again actual banknotes are used, but now added are some 183 leaves drawn with accuracy. Here we have three systems colliding - that of botanical illustration, Linnaean and local vernacular classifications, and monetary systems. This amazing work, some 12 meters long, aesthetically is seductively attractive, but once the viewer is captured by its beauty, it lends itself to many levels of interpretation about threatened and destroyed environments, the passing of empires, global trade and the whole ephemeral of being.