TOWARD THE MEAN: RAEWYN TURNER & BRIAN HARRIS 2012.

Economics and art

Toward the Mean references government fiscal policies, the Phillips Curve and the balance between the promise of a wage adjusted to inflation and the power to consume. The twenty three tin cans filled with fragranced soil indicate data points on the graph of the Expectations-Augmented Phillips curve which describes a relationship between inflation and unemployment.           

Economics are very relevant to the smell of the landscape because of the pastoral land use which continues to drive this country's economy. Conversion of sheep and beef farms, and forests, for dairying and increasing intensification on dairy farms with higher stock levels, more fertilisers and supplementary feeds has increased degradation of streams, rivers, wetlands and estuaries. The smell of animals grazing on pastures, and cut lawns wafting across neighbourhoods, both of which were originally grown from introduced seeds, give out volatiles. The larger-scale  social,  environmental , cultural and ethical consequences of engineering the landscape into the grid system of fields and front yards in the mid 1800’s, can be  experienced  in the cipher of the smell that now envelops us.

We viewed the Philips Curve graph from a side elevation, and plotted the spaces between the data points. Everytime a spoonful of flavoured soil is lifted it disturbs the equilibrium of system.  

The data points become the flavours with reference to 23 choices of flavours from David Merrit's poem.The soil was dried, sifted and fragranced with commercial synthetic flavours 

The original simple Philips curve plotted the relationship between the rate of inflation and the unemployment rate between the years 1861 – 1957.  The Phillips curve remains the NZ Reserve Bank’s core model of the economy (the Forecasting and Policy System or FPS). The fiscal forecasts are prepared on the basis of underlying economic forecasts. Such forecasts are critical for determining revenue and expense estimates. 
The Expectation Augmented Philips curve takes into account future inflation expectations. This implies the curve becomes a horizontal line at a certain point, indicated by the mechanism of the piece. 

Toward the Mean won the Supreme Award at Kinetica: Category - You Design and Make. Exhibited at  Kinetica Awards in the Finalist exhibition Puke Ariki, Taranaki  in 2014    

EXHIBITED AT SATELLITE GALLERY 2012 CATALOGUE: B.G.M.E.R.C; BREATHINGGROWINGMOVINGENGAGINGREACTINGCHANGING

Many thanks to Sensient Technologies for providing brilliant and durable flavours!

For more background information on the outdoor version please see : Fragrant Earth