Inflated coin
<Inflated Coins> serves as a documentation and memorialization of a subtle change in the political environment within Chinese media around the year 2017. It sees Chinese television program as a format of magic and myths, how it induces the viewer's desire and eventually consolidate the state power. Starting around 2016, President Xi Jinping reaffirmed the party's leadership through CCTV Center News with his multiple speeches, and the media swiftly act to support this new turn with the new content and framework. The concepts of "getting rich" and "patriotism" started to intertwine and echoed through the repetitive daily news cycles. These changes in the media landscape become the beginning of the rising patriotic enthusiasm among citizens, including my father. The project is divided into two parts: Firstly, a set of silver brooches crafted in the shape of the inflated Chinese currency. Then, a fictional snack called 'Popo Coin' and a video advertisement, served as a platform to present the research.
Chongjin Chen is a visual artist based in Eindhoven. She received her MA degree from Design Academy Eindhoven in 2021. She is interested in the power of subtle expressions and precise metaphors. Her works use an auto-ethnographic method to explore notions like micro-history, daily habits, transforming values, and the ambivalence within. The outcomes appear to be spontaneous, cheerful, and accessible.
