Lexy Ottwald designed a commemorative coin in a limited edition of 1,152 pieces for the 200th anniversary of the lion monument. The number corresponds to the number of Swiss mercenaries engraved in the lion monument during the storming of the Tuileries Palace on August 10, 1792. The front shows the lion and the inscription on the monument, and on the back “SOLD. What are you willing to do for money? " engraved.
In order to be able to take the coin home as a souvenir, the question imprinted on the coin “What are you willing to do for money?” in the equivalent of a coin to answer. The answers will be published anonymously on this page.
- DateWhile stocks last from October 15 - December 13, 2020
- TimeDuring the opening hours of the exhibition
- LocationKunsthalle Lucerne, free admission
- EventParticipation in the equivalent of an anniversary coin - take memories home
Unlike the previous coins to the hundredth or 150th anniversary, which were designed to commemorate the inauguration, Ottwald’s anniversary coin illuminates the memorial from critical points of view and reminds the contemporary, reflected and personally committed contextualization of the memorial in its historical embedding against the background of the mercenary system of Switzerland.
As there are two sides to the coin, Ottwald operates on a double floor between historical background and relevance to the present: If the mercenaries risked their lives for a fee, Ottwald asks today about the extent of the purchasability: What is a person willing to do in exchange for payment – for the „Sold“? To what extent is the human already sold? In essence, her work touches on the question of the economization of all areas of life, which shapes the social value structure and releases consumption-oriented, self-optimizing and profit-striving norms in individuals.
The coin is not available for money. Ottwald calls on the population to answer the question, “What are you willing to do for money?” to answer in the equivalent of the coin and thus to reflect the personal relationship to money. The coin can be redeemed during the exhibition and opening times in the Kunsthalle Luzern from October 15, 2020, 7:30 p.m. while stocks last. The answers will of course remain anonymous.
What are you willing to do for money
The answers...
We are eagerly awaiting your answers. From October 15, 7:30 p.m. while stocks last…
- Art (1 answer)
- Travel
- Work (12 answers)
- Kissing (2 answers)
- Teaching (2 answers)
- The first thing that comes to mind is how I have a responsibility to others. And whether I associate that with money. At the moment I have the feeling that I do a lot for money, as long as it only concerns me. e.g. crappy part-time job. (1 answer)
- For money I also give my best sometimes! (
- Good things!
- Nothing (3)
- A balancing act
- The less money I have, the further I am willing to go for money. At the moment I am working for myself because I see it as my calling and I am fulfilled by it. The money I will earn with it later is not so important to me. But this is only the case because I don’t have to worry about having a roof over my head and a full stomach. If that were taken away from me, I would probably be a completely different person.
- For money I only do what I would do without getting money for it.
- Especially as a student, I ask myself this question again and again. When it comes to student jobs that bring in a lot of money, but also demand a lot from you, I already had my doubts (e.g. about doing things on the phone, etc.) But I was lucky not to be dependent on such jobs and always had the chance to say “no”.
- However, in spite of the current emergency situation, Switzerland has no new obligations to ensure the fairness of non-ethical measures for the future. Mais la question, vent-on toujours plus? The people who are involved in the project each time they meet the rest of the people, they are in a situation of absolute nécessité their presence, each time they have to prepare themselves for survival. Survival is, for example, the case of the survival of my enfants.
- I have a job and I am paid, but I am not willing to let my ethnic principles, guiding principles for money abandoned. (1 answer)
- Money provides the basic needs, so does freedom. For this good I would sacrifice time in order to be able to spend quality leisure time win.
- Oh…. well almost everything …. playing prank phone calls 😉 Kissing someone I do not like … art…
- To do a job that I cannot represent 100%. (
- Working – not working – (do not change your mind) – studying (something arbitrary) – test person for studies (only in CH)
- My job, until the money runs out.
- The Master in Art Teaching, to work as an art mediator / BG teacher & to earn money alongside my art Already dangerous now and then.
- Kiss Luke on the lips (
- carry 10 kg
- I am now only prepared to expect money for a few things. E.g. to do something for an acquaintance or friends. For errands or music lessons.
- I would probably go far in an emergency. But my limit is certain that I would not endanger/murder anyone. I would rather offer to “sell” myself. (
- I am head of a course of studies for art & mediation. I would still like to think and act entrepreneurially. I work on it. (1 answer)
- In my privileged situation I am hardly prepared to do anything for money that harms me, others or the environment. However, I don’t know what it would be like if I were to suffer longer – I just don’t know how far I would go. Internal conflicts would certainly be pre-programmed.
- Driving a race.
- Honestly… …I don’t know. And that worries me a lot. Instinctively, I don’t deny that I am also behaving unethically. This attitude frightens me. It is fascinating, but in a frightening way, how a “real” sum of money can completely forget moral and ethical views. Because I too, I think, would do a lot for the right sum. That I dread.
- More like everyone and less like everything.
- “Money” has historically been developed as a means of trade. Today it controls many people and their respectful actions. I perceive money as a means to an end. I would never risk my life for it. The saying “Everyone has their Price” speaks the truth for many people, because we also live in a consumer-driven society.
- Working, there is no other way to get money with me. Not enough imagination?
- I work more for money than I would without money. I wish we had a system where we had an unconditional basic income, and we could do more of the things we really want to do without being constantly focused on making ends meet.
- For people who do not have food, get food + sponsors.
- If we look at our life & our society, we see that we do quite a lot, almost everything for money. For what? For living, for survival. The rest, the “almost”, is the limit: what we do not do for money? The immoral, most people say. Killing, for instance. But what if it was a matter of survival? Would we rather die?
- Life costs money. Nowhere is it free. Either I earn money by working, or I live off other people’s money. For my survival I would damage others to the extent that they could continue to survive like me. As a working and living person, I am necessarily also a polluter of the environment. I try to keep the damage as small as possible. As a human being I can do no more than that.
- I do nothing for money. But it is pleasant to receive compensation for a job. But the joy of doing things comes first.
- Everything that is ethically justifiable in my opinion!
- Making decisions for others.
- Taking part in a bridal show.
- For prosperity.
- Taking a local history tour of Horw.
- Getting up early for money.
- To go to art exhibitions.
- To cleanse forests/nature reserve of rubbish.
- Giving information to strangers about an area I know.
- All types of knowledge transfer
- Supervision at the Museum of Art Lucerne
- Contract work..
- Relax
- Work
- … picking, shoveling. Cutting trees. Watching someone? Paint a wall! Telling a bad joke. Washing a car. Leave notes.
- Everything what ist necessary to survive
- For money I would write a satirical comedy about the Lion Monument
- I received money for my gainful employment, which I enjoyed and made sense. Therefore, I am prepared to give money to the state to carry out the tasks.
- In times when I have little money, I am ready for a lot. I would quickly explore my own physical limits, but my psychological or moral ones less.
But basically I am too privileged to go too far. I have been told that my time is valuable, that I am valuable, and that this is just a barrier in giving myself. - Care for people who are Covid positive
- sing a serenade
- fill out another slip of paper
- Fill my paper
- Money should not be a part of my life. That’s now exactly how it is.
- Get up early!
- I work as a doctor for money, otherwise I hardly do anything for money and I love doing everything else for no money. Because imagine how many ambivalent feelings and thoughts it triggers for money – and especially for money from which sources (!?!) … to work in a vocation that is so close to being human, so personal, that demands so much artistic work from me as from my patients… All this is hidden behind the legimitation of a title that is a shield and at the same time an invitation to abuse … a whole book would fill my thoughts every day about this theme and this struggle that never ends.
- Do almost everything
- I think this depends in particular on how badly I need money. At the moment, and actually already during my whole life, I have enough (also a privilege). I am therefore in the fortunate position of only having to or wanting to do for money what I can say yes to 100%. In this context, I realize that I spend money on things I don’t know what the background is that gave rise to them. As a consumer, you are usually kept in ignorance about environmental pollution, working conditions, animal welfare, etc. So I would be willing to spend more money on products that were produced according to ethical principles.
- Many good things.
- I do everything that’s good for you and good for me, everything that’s bad for you and bad for me, I don’t do.
- For money, I would do supervision here.
- Offer guided tours to tourists. Lucerne is beautiful.
- I would do all kinds of things for money that I also do without money: support, cook, serve, advise, hold, talk to, listen to, encourage + cheer up
- A normal job where no people or animals are threatened.
- Nothing
- I have been very little confornt with this question in my 64 years of life. So the question remains somewhat abstract for me. I can rather say that I also did without because of lack of money, which I do not regret. We were just talking about the fact that with capitalism, ethics and morals were unfortunately being buried more and more. In this respect, modern times have not brought us any human progress. We hope that with the promised new age we humans will in future strive for self-compassion and compassion towards all beings of this creation!
- Spontaneous answer: nothing!
For me, what I do must make sense. And I know that I was privileged in life without intention or merit to be able to do this and always receive good money for it. But what would the answer be if I were not privileged? Hard to say. What is certain for me is that capitalism cannot and will not solve this dilemma. For that, we need a society oriented towards the common good. A start would be the basic income, which capital will prevent. But the compulsion to do something for money would disappear. And people would still like to do meaningful things: that’s how I experience myself and many other people. Thank you for the question!