Face Value

A time bank is a bartering system for services, where people can exchange their services for "person-time" credits rather than money. Most time banks are centrally administered. Face Value is a decentralised time bank: every visitor will be gifted a coin worth one person-hour. The only condition of accepting this gift is that you may not sell it, but only trade it. It has a fixed value of one person-hour. This exhibition encourages us all to reconsider what is really valuable today, and how to better live our values. It also explores ideas of value creation, cultural production, the gift economy, symbolic exchange and non-work.

REAL foundation is a cultural institute and architectural practice based in London. REAL is dedicated to promoting democracy, inclusivity and equalities of many kinds (amongst them, race, gender, class, wealth and space). Notable projects include curating the British Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Biennale, and publishing Real Review (www.real-review.org). REAL works across the cultural and financial sectors and the design of domestic space. REAL has recently launched a housing company that aims to redefine ownership and affordability for this century, REAL homes. Jack Self is an architect. He is Director of REAL foundation and Editor-in-Chief of Real Review.