fr / en
The French term "fortune" refers to both richness by opulence and band-aid solution, temporary accommodation. It suggests chance, hazard: luck or risk.
The video forms a moving and hypnotic tapestry. Played on a digital screen usually dedicated to advertising, its vegetal like pattern (wheat or corn ears)
with shimmering reflections could convey wealth and luxury, yet, as we come closer, we realize that it is made of one euro cent coins, the smaller fraction of
the currency unit.
While advertising requests its viewer's desire, a coin rotating in the air leaves to chance the decision-making. Yet, the coin never comes to rest and the
choice remains suspended – and offer no alternative anyway as it has two identical sides, reducing it to its only face value.
We are familiar with the digital representation of a coin hanging in the air from childhood with video games such as Mario Bros where the hero has to jump on to as many coins as he can find in order to refill his life bar. It takes 3.6 seconds for the coin to make a complete rotation; 1 euro cent coin is the value of 3.6 seconds worked at the French minimum wage in 2019. This fabric time-money frames the vast majority of the population's activity.
Each moment allows to get a full picture of the movement: each line – verticals and horizontals – shows all the phases of the motion.