Exhibition Diary, Part VII

Name: Money chases children (Raha ajab lapsi taga)
Made by: Epp Kubu
Material: video
Place: Linna Galerii, Tallinn

Almost everything was told in the press release: children see and understand that the world is spinning around the money. While they're playing, the money become an important part of their game. So, all the videos about a child's play whit the main idea "Where does money come from?": it might be drawn or taken from mommy's unneeded 15-years-old monetary stock, it can be just found as a treasures are found. Or we can try to put on some bank employee dressing like a grandmother =)

All I have is just to add that the importance of money is over-inflated and overwhelming. If children who don't understand yet what is what and how the world works, they know that money is good, money makes ice-cream and toy cars. Literally, from the little age they know the system "the money in the morning, the chairs in the evening". And that idea was illustrated by "Money follows children" video, in the beginning of what two brothers (age of 5-7) fight over the bunch of coins. There surely plays its role an aspect of "mine", but additional sense is given by money.
Another metaphor might be seen in the video "Hidden treasure", where little girl and boy are searching for a treasure at home. There is a background sound of "falling coins" and they run over the place screaming "Where are you?". At the end little boy finds the treasure (what-/whoever it was) under a bed and creeps under it and... the sound like something big and scary eats him, chews and champs. I see that as when a child "finds a treasure" (read: comes in touch with money), he is fallen from his innocent skies into squelchy reality, where find-a-treasure adventure turns into you-should-work-for-having-money routine. Starting with "50 cents for a good grade" in the 1st grade and up to "You're a grown-up, find a job!"
And here comes the 3rd video "Pension day", where a girl of about 9 years finds a way to get some money, namely to dress like her grandmother and go to the bank with her pass. A 12 or 13 years old boy as a bank employee, of course, doesn't get hooked and frustrated kid starts teasing and pulling faces. That's the first step for the fraud - anything to get the money.
It's nothing but a vicious circle, children are chased by our way of life; they see it - repeat - and make it the routine for others to repeat. But since it's about money, it can't be helped.