Positive Coin / 帕斯堤貨幣

2019 Draft Version

Background 敘述緣起

“It is said that one mysterious currency is hidden in the digital world's deep jungle, and people are willing to trade it with their money, time, and even their lives…”

Currency has been invented since ancient times, serving as a medium for the exchange of value in various transactions, including goods, services, art, bonds, and more. In recent years, with the advent of mature credit card systems, electronic payment methods, and blockchain technology, there has been a rise in cases of locally issued currencies and community currencies. People are also becoming increasingly accustomed to virtual transactions. However, these "currencies" typically carry values that are widely recognized by the public.

If, in the realm of art, a currency for diseases were invented today, how would people use it? Would the narrative of the value of diseases be flipped?

——傳說中，在虛擬世界的深處，藏著一種來自剛果的神秘貨幣，它令人願意用大量的金錢、時間甚至是生命來交換…

貨幣自古即被發明，它是一個乘載物，使貨品、服務、藝術品、債券等多元事務的價值可以被交換。近年，由於成熟的信用卡、電子支付系統與區塊鏈技術，開始更多自主發行地方貨幣、社群貨幣的案例，人們也日漸習慣虛擬交易。然而，這些「貨幣」一般所承載的，是大眾所共同認可的「價值」。— 如果今天，藉藝術場域，發明了一個疾病貨幣，大家會怎麼使用呢？對於疾病的價值敘事，會不會翻轉呢？

Content 計畫內容

People living with HIV/AIDS continue to face ongoing discrimination and stigma. Apart from the general fear of the unknown surrounding the disease, individuals infected with HIV often hesitate to disclose their status. Specific groups such as HIV-positive women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and sex workers experience further suppression due to sexual stigma, leading to a lack of information circulation and confidentiality.

“Positive” refers to HIV positive, and how HIV-positive people can bring positive meaning to their stigmatized disease. After consulting doctors, psychiatrists, and AIDS activists, our team designed a currency with the bionic features inspired by HIV.

Addressing Susan Sontag's observation of using military vocabularies for diseases, Positive Coin draws parallel analogies between the circulation of disease and trading. By combining currency and disease, we challenge preconceptions about values.

1. Exchange Center:

   • Exhibition spaces and museums serve as exchange centers where participants collect wallets, clear handling fees, and participate in Positive Coin auctions.

2. Wallet:

   • Designed like a patient's wrist, when scanned, it reveals the participant’s Positive Coin amounts and provides access to the Positive Coin chatbot.

3. Positive Coin:

   • Participants purchase the Positive Coins online with fiat currency. After the purchase, participants can collect their wallet at exchange centers. There are four types of coins randomly distributed within the wallet, each type has particular bionic features resembling the four HIV subtypes, and each digital wallet expires within 14-21 days, unless participant revisit the exchange centers and clear off handling fee. For example, Type 1 coin has the most interest rate but longest survival time, just as how HIV-1 Group M multiplies quicker but less fatal than other strain.

4. Chatbot & Community:

   • Our team scripted the interviews with HIV-positive people into Postive Coin Chatbot, the participants can as if chat with HIV-positive people during the physical exhibition is up. In addition, there are social media platform for the audience to exchange their strategies or experience holding Positive Coin.

5. Appreciation and Depreciation:

• The overall price of the Positive Coin fluctuates based on the current HIV-stigma level. The HIV-stigma level is collected through questionnaire that spread among participants and HIV-positive people.

6. Handling Fee:

   • Participants revisit the exchange centers, paying handling fee to prevent the expiration of their wallent. The name of the handling fee are Antiviral Therapy medicines, including Biktarvy, Triumeq, Odefsey.

7. ATM:
   -Some of the exhibition spaces are set with Positive Coin ATM. Two participants who scan their wallet in the ATM will mutually affect their Positive Coin bionic features, creating new strains. While they scan in ATM, an AIDS geopolitical story unfolds in the ATM screen.

8. Auction:

   • At the project's end, an auction allows participants to use Positive Coins to purchase HIV-related artworks and goods. Residual gains from auctions are donated to HIV NGOs.

愛滋感染者，至今仍持續地遭受歧視及污名。除了大眾對於疾病未知的恐懼，使感染者不敢揭露自己的身份；愛滋感染的女性、同志、性工作者等等族群，更因性污名而再次被壓抑、導致疾病資訊缺乏流通且隱密。

「帕斯堤」也是愛滋血液篩檢呈陽性的感染者（HIV + 或 HIV positive）的代稱，這次，藉由現有的區塊鏈技術，發行及設計「帕斯堤貨幣（positive coin）」；帕斯堤貨幣使用方式，舉例如下：

1. 虛擬身份與社群
   參與觀眾透過在美術館或藝術空間內的裝置，或網站文宣中的連結，登入帕斯堤貨幣的虛擬介面，並獲得自己的帳戶。
   進入帕斯堤貨幣的使用介面後，參與觀眾可以選擇帳戶身份，如：女性、男同志、用藥者…等等，各身份文化不同，在後面使用貨幣時，所能換到的資源及數量，也略有不同。

2. 貨幣的取得與發行
   初始帳戶不具有帕斯堤貨幣，像 HIV病毒一樣，帕斯堤貨幣需從已持有人處獲得，獲得者有再次發行貨幣的權力，並正式進入帕斯堤社群。

3. 交易內容
   不限制。

4. 升貶值、通貨膨脹、期貨交易

   • 新藥即將發明，代表整體愛滋感染者即將減少，帕斯堤貨幣整體價值下降。
   • 媒體污名化宣傳次數增加，愛滋社群的緊密度上升，然而外部給愛滋感染者的資源減少。帕斯堤貨幣的使用者會感到貨幣貶值，換入的資源減少。
   • 新藥推行，整體愛滋感染者減少，帕斯堤貨幣通貨緊縮；反之政府不當政策等等，使愛滋感染者增加，帕斯堤貨幣使用者會感到通貨膨脹。

5. 貨幣交換紀錄透明化
   透過區塊鏈的資訊透明化方法，參與者可追蹤自己所發送、交換出去的的帕斯堤貨幣流向、再交易與再發行數。帕斯堤貨幣的持有人數量、整體貨幣價值等等。

6. 宗教與社會情況
   帕斯堤貨幣就展覽地點的宗教與社會氛圍，可交換的物資將有調整。…etc.

7. 交易手續費及真實貨幣的兌換
   帕斯堤貨幣，根據參與觀眾的使用的熱絡程度，計畫後期試圖將貨幣提升到公益性質：使真實世界的貨幣也能兌換購買帕斯堤貨幣，而每筆使用HIV 貨幣的收續費可以回饋到台灣露德協會、帕斯提聯盟、熱線、同行者等關注與支援感染者的相關機構。

Outcome 目的

Tzu Tung Lee is a conceptual artist with a focus on gender and political identity issues. "Positive Coin" encompasses the realms of new media art, participatory art, and transactional art. It will also function as an cryptocurrency, transcending the boundaries of the art space by freely circulating online.

"Positive Coin" draws a parallel metaphor between "currency" and "disease," both possessing qualities that can be circulated, quantified, and controlled. It explores how the participating audience can empathize with different HIV-positive identities, including associated social resources, media stigma issues, and the community environments that emerge in the exchange of the disease (infectees, healthcare providers, social workers, etc.). The project observes the narrative surrounding the disease and investigates the potential developments when using currency as a metaphor. Ultimately, it examines the behaviors of the participating audience in utilizing the currency.

李紫彤是概念藝術家，關注性別與政治身份認同議題。帕斯提貨幣，涵蓋新媒體藝術、參與式藝術（Participatory Art）、交易藝術（Transactional Art）的範疇，亦會成為現有正式的虛擬貨幣（Cryptocurrency），超越藝術空間範疇的在網路上自由流通。

《帕斯堤貨幣》這個計畫，將「貨幣」與「疾病」，兩者可被可被流通、量化、管控的特質做平行比喻。探索參與觀眾，如何同理不同的愛滋感染身份：包括相應的社會資源、媒體汙名問題，以及在疾病交換之間所出現的社群環境（感染者、醫護者、社工等等．．．），並觀察疾病敘事，再藉由貨幣作為比喻時，會有什麼樣的發展；以及最終，參與觀眾使用貨幣的行為為何。

Installation Form 形式簡介

1. In gallaries or museums, there will be an on-site installation similar to the work "#Ghostkeepers (#迎靈者)." Within the exhibition space, there are four screens displaying interviews with individuals living with HIV/AIDS, accompanied by their photos. Additionally, a computer program (MAX MSP) will generate a sound-reactive animation, enhancing the audio-visual experience. 在美術館或藝術空間中，將呈現現場裝置，類似作品 <#迎靈者>，在展出現場，有四個螢幕，並在上播放愛滋感染者的訪問聲音及照片，經由電腦計算（MAX MSP）所做出的聲動動畫（Sound Reinactive Animation)。

2. The simulated sound-motion effects on the screen (where the interviewee's outline only appears when they are speaking) will be a visual design theme for the virtual aspect of the Pasti Coin. 螢幕上的聲動效果模擬（只有當受訪者講話時，受訪者的輪廓才會浮現），此聲動效果也是帕斯提貨幣在虛擬屆面上會有的視覺設計主題。

3. For gallery and art space audiences, after the installation animation concludes, a QR code for the Pasti Coin website will be displayed, allowing viewers to scan it with their phones. 對於美術館與藝術空間的觀眾，在裝置的動畫結束後，將會出現帕斯堤貨幣網站的 QR code，使觀眾可以用手機掃入。
   

4. The login links for the website and app will be disseminated through promotional materials, enabling audiences who haven't visited the gallery to participate in the art project and engage in Pasti Coin transactions.網站及app的登入連結，會另外發放文宣廣告，使沒有來到美術館的觀眾，也可以參與此藝術計畫，進行帕斯堤貨幣的交易。
   

5. This is a simulated interface for the Pasti Coin mobile app. Viewers can obtain an electronic wallet for different HIV identities by scanning the QR code with their phones. The wallet displays the circulation method and overall value of the Pasti Coin, allowing users to transfer the coins they have to different holders. 此為帕斯提貨幣手機app介面的模擬圖。觀眾藉由手機掃碼，拿到不同愛滋身份的的電子錢包。錢包裡可以看見帕斯堤貨幣的流通方式、整體價值，也可以將手上現有的帕斯堤貨幣，轉出給不同的持有者。

Advisors 合作顧問

This project, involving both engineering design and expertise in disease, will collaborate with engineers, doctors, and psychologists. Brief introductions of the collaborating consultants are as follows:

Position	Name	Introduction
Front-end and Back-end Engineer	Lin Yuting	Senior Engineer at Mutix
Engineering Project Management	Chen Yizi	Senior Engineer
HIV-related Counseling	Charlotte Teng	Psychologist at the New York Lixin Foundation, Master's in Behavioral Psychology from Columbia University

本計劃將會因牽涉工程設計及疾病專業面向，將聘請工程師與醫師、心理師合作。合作的顧問簡介如下：

職稱	姓名	簡介
前後端工程師	林宇庭	Mutix 資深工程師
工程技術專案管理	陳怡孜	資深工程師
HIV 相關諮詢	Charlotte Teng	紐約勵馨基金會心理師、Columbia University 行為心理學碩士

User's Journey 使用者旅程