Capital

In collaboration with Marysia Lewandoska, commissioned by senior curator Frances Morris, 'Capital' was the inaugural project in the Contemporary Interventions series at Tate Modern. The project explored the structure and function of the museum, and extends the legacy of ‘institutional critique’ pioneered by American artists Hans Haake and Andrea Fraser.

Research into the structure and function of Tate led us to engage The Bank of England in a collaboration. The Bank of England was founded upon a debt - a loan to the King in 1674 - while Tate was founded by a gift - from Henry Tate in 1897. Gifts drive cultural institutions as debt fuels financial economies, and anthropology suggests that gifts and debts are different moments in a reciprocal exchange of capital.

'Capital' unfolded through a series of encounters – an exhibition, publication and seminar series. Yet at the heart of the project was the giving of a gift - a beautiful limited edition print - from members of staff at both institutions to unsuspecting visitors.

• http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibition...
• http://www.chanceprojects.com/node/71
• http://www.chanceprojects.com/node/113
• http://www.chanceprojects.com/node/134