The escape: from responsibility, from stress, from anxiety, from society´s expectations, from monotony, from loneliness, from money worries, from reality. And the microsecond in which we make a wish before throwing a coin is an escape from the reality that surrounds us to the life that we would like to live. A nice metaphor of some of the characteristics of our current society, where many people want to obtain big changes with minimal effort and where money can buy everything. 

In the old times people thought that stagnant water had healing properties, no matter the source, well, fountain, cave … etc. People used to make wishes by throwing a coin and hoping that these would be granted to them by the divinities that lived in those waters. Curiously this tradition has arrived intact to our times. It is very common to find wells, fountains, ponds, with the bottom full of coins and, by extension, people´s desires. Wishes of change, of escaping from anxiety, from illness, from heartbreak, from stress, from precarity and many many things. And the microsecond in which we make a wish before throwing a coin is an escape from the reality that surrounds us to the life that we would like to live. In addition it is important to emphasize that we really think that this act can change our destiny. We don’t usually admit it though. But we want to think that we can change things if we put enough hope in an object (the coin) and in an act (the throw) our wishes will become true. It is not surprising that this type of belief reached our days. Especially in our current society, at least in the current Spain, where many people try to obtain everything with minimal effort, they wish things can be changed as a magic trick or just by discussing them with the person sat next to them or by shouting their ambitions for the future to the politicians appearing in our televisions, just to mention some examples. A society where it is asked very much, but very little is given in exchange and where in addition, we are taught every day that with money you can achieve anything from the simplest thing to the most immoral or unethical thing. (It is not surprising that the former deities prefered coins rather than any other type of offering, no need to explain why)

When: 04. – 06.11.2016

Where: GlogauAIR 

Who again: Comando Marisol