Oakmoss (Evernia Prunastri)

Within this work – full title 12:10 46˚41.617’N 006˚27.899’E Oakmoss (Evernia Prunastri) – shown at Espace dAM, Romainmôtier – the artist lit and transmitted hand-rolled cones of Oakmoss incense. The works title marks the precise time, date, and GPS location where the Oakmoss was harvested. Each incense cone is placed upon x3 5 Swiss Franc coins (welded together as make-shift incense holders).
This ‘editing’ of a‘fiat’ currency is intended to question why it is  supposedly unlawful to deface coinage, but not so for governments and multinationals to continue to destroy our planets precious eco-system. When the cones are lit, transmitting the Oakmoss scent, before smouldering to ash, the coinage below is shown to be useless anyway. By symbolically placing the natural world before above ‘fiat’ currencies, profit (and the era of late capitalism), it is intended that the viewer/receptor might become fully aware to the fact that if the natural world is not protected then humankind (and financial systems) will cease to exist anyway.
The use of incense is the most ancient and original form of scent transmission and has been used both ceremonially and ritualistically for millennia. Interestingly the word ‘perfume’ originates from the Latin ‘per fumus’ meaning ‘through smoke’.

Dimensions variable.

Hand-rolled Oakmoss incense cones, x9 5 Swiss Franc coins, scent composition (Notes of: Oakmoss).