Gold is a generous symbol and a guarded commodity. It lines most of the technological systems that now cover the earth, found in connectors, capacitors and CPUs. The device you are reading this on depends on gold. As did the value of most of the world’s currencies until the second half of the 20th century. The entrepreneurial energy inspired by gold has led to the construction of cities and the collapse of states. It stands for self-evident value and mystifying seduction. It is the magnet that propels capitalist accumulation.
Most of these meanings and modes of existence are concealed by gold’s dazzling sheen. In The Canary and The Hammer, British artist Lisa Barnard sets out to complicate our understanding of the precious metal and the relentless drive towards progress it encapsulates. Tracing global supply chains and connecting disparate histories, Bernard uses photography, text and archival materials to question the spectral relationship between gold and entirely abstract systems of value. Scroll on to see a collection of images from the book.
The Canary and The Hammer by Lisa Barnard, published by MACK (2019).