economic life

money, not art
Originally uploaded by jhc.

probably the most impressive embodiment of near near future's motto 'we make money not art' is this project that waters a plant based on the home depot's share price:

The installation periodically checks the value of Home Depot’s stock over the internet, and activates a watering system: if share values are up the plant gets watered. The underlined paradox is that Home Depot guarantees the well being of the plant for one year and, if the plant dies due to either falling or rising share values it has to be replaced by the multinational, —a contract relating life and death.

i think that something even more interesting would be providing sustinance to a tree based on the share price of a logging company, and then after a hundred years, harvesting the tree and using its rings as a stock chart.