‘History Zero’ takes as its starting point the multi-layered contemporary crisis in Greece, which Tsivopoulos sees as an opportunity to interpret an alternative visualization of the future. It depicts three human experiences related to notions of value systems. In doing so, it explores the role of money in the formation of human relationships and the way it relates to politics and societal issues.
The three films are accompanied by a selection of archival material, which provides examples and evidence of alternative non-monetary exchange systems. It focuses on the ability of such models to erode or at least put in question the political power of common currency, and the ways in which communities function in relation to the exchange of goods in difficult times.
The project highlights the diverse culture that surrounds economic exchange; at the same time it challenges the social, political and practical aspect of alternative currency models.
