MIYUKI KASAHARA
What does picking up one pence mean to you?

Title of work What does picking up one pence mean to you?
Date of work 2011
Medium Acrylic paint, ink, pennies, transfer prints on 4 wooden panels
Dimensions 112cm x 230cm x 5cm

Price £3600

As the penny is the smallest denomination within the UK currency system, we do not care much about it, yet we cannot buy anything without it. There are many pennies found in the street, some have been crushed by cars so many times you can hardly see the Queen’s face. Similarly society ignores people who work on very low wages but it also cannot do without them, these people perform jobs (even illegal one’s) others choose to ignore.

I collected pennies on my routes home and then traced collaged maps of London and transferred them onto panels. The actual pennies are placed exactly where I found them on the map. In an accompanying performance I asked for stories, myths and superstitions from visitors about finding pennies.