Net Value
may 2013 | installation | telefortation: time well bentIn the mid 90’s Beanie Babies were collected not only as toys but also as financial investments. Once the beanie bubble burst, the consumer craze petered out. While the market’s bottoming out may have caught some collectors off guard, the occurrence of collapsing investment is not unique. The crash events of many contemporary commodities—take housing or oil reserves, or more recently, bitcoin—influences our future interaction with the commodity itself.
Years down the line, how we remember these crash events? How are our memories intertwined with our use of related goods? What kinds of stories do the goods inspire?
Net Value employs memorabilia—collections of TY Beanie Babies—to whimsically engage participants’ memories of the comodity. With decades distance from the TY craze, how do consumers connect with their collections?
The tent/net invites participants to engage with creatures from their childhoods. From their viewpoint lying on the ground, participants can identify familiar toys and share stories with friends. The pully system allows the net to undulate when the weight is tugged.
Net Value was exhibited as part of the group show Telefortation: Time Well Bent in St. Louis as an interactive event activity and temporary exhibit.
partners: Lex Agnew
A website appropriated imagery from TY.com to solicit donations of beanie baby collections for the installation.