MASQUERADE

The value of the ART HOUSE INDEX lies in its potential to convert an opaque, static and difficult product into a transparent, ‘liquid’ and accessible investment. In a publicity video, Vermeir & Heiremans’ art house unfolds to reveal many virtual houses. A real-time algorithm continuously calculates the value of AHI– based on tools that measure confidence and belief. The video alternates between two timelines: one shows the ‘finished’ product while the other demystifies ‘creation’ within the artistic process. A commentary elucidates the roles of the filmmaker, the public and the wider economic context. The worlds of high finance and global art markets - both belief systems - form the context for the narrative of MASQUERADE. A fragmented environment gradually evolves from the white cube of a gallery to an auction house, commodity exchange, courtroom, etc.: places where values are negotiated and exchanged. A report on AHI-’s initial public offering transforms into an abstract landscape of opinions and tastes. The installation includes In-Residence Magazine # 02, an art and lifestyle magazine that provides background information on the concept of “value” in the worlds of finance and contemporary art.