AIHIO BIRD 001 — Guestbook
$39,000,000,000,000
AIHIO BIRD 001 is a guestbook. During its first exhibition in Finland, hundreds of visitors signed the gilded shell by hand — the way one signs a guestbook, a banknote, or a treaty.
Beside the work, a screen counted the United States national debt in real time. The certificate issued with the piece — United States Financial Redemption Certificate, AIHIO BIRD 001 — states its value: $39,000,000,000,000. The number is not a price. It is the point.
[Image slot 2 — close-up of the signatures]
[Image slot 3 — the certificate and the debt clock]
The window
Set into the shell is a small dark window sealed with a peacock cabochon, a black-and-gold ribbon beneath it. Under the window rests a scroll.
[Image slot 4 — the peacock window, close]
[Video slot — the exhibition film, with sound]
Status
AIHIO BIRD 001 is a one-of-one. It is an artwork; the certificate is part of the work and carries no monetary or redemption value. The piece is not for sale. Serious offers will be heard.
The one that can be yours
AIHIO BIRD 001 cannot be bought. A commissioned AIHIO BIRD can be — a dark, unsigned counterpart, built one at a time to its owner's brief.
[Image slot 5 — artist portrait with the work]