a diamond manufactured from the carbon found in .223 Caliber assault rifle ammunition. the gem's girdle is laser-inscribed with title, date, artist's name, original carbon material, and diamond certification code:
microscopic detail of laser inscription
Gunpowder Diamond forms part of Tendered Currency, an installation exploring perceived value, labor and authenticity. Both the diamond and art economies are symbols of scarcity, emotion, investment, luxury, taste and exertion; both the diamond and art economies rely on cheap labor, careful manipulation of supply, and manufactured demand within insulated markets. As capital moves with increasing velocity, value itself has become an increasingly variable and subjective denominator in society, influencing the definition of art, and what it might obtain in both cultural and economic terms. Tendered Currency collaborates with these systems to investigate what we value and how we value it.
