2020 - 2021

A community economy is an economy centred on ethical considerations — a space of decision making where our interdependence is recognised and negotiated with other humans, other species, and our environment.
- J.K. Gibson- Graham

Reframing Community Economies

Reframing Community Economies explores the ’community economy’ as an ecological approach towards creating more sustainable and equitable future for communities.

The project is situated on Great Island, a small island community located in Cork Harbour on the south coast of Ireland. The research sits in the context of a complex web of environmental and economic challenges in the locality: from a history of heavy industries to a new tourism-based economy focused on cruise liners berthing at Cobh and an ongoing twenty-year campaign contesting the building of an incinerator across the harbour in Ringaskiddy.

The research considers the question, how do we as an island community creatively imagine and co-create a more sustainable and equitable future on the island? A six month online public engagement programme of presentations, discussions, workshops and readings took place from December 2020 – June 2021.

Recordings available on SIRIUS YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjsDRslOgvMB8mpMc6ONpxA/videos

screenshot of zoom presentation

Reading group around the book Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st- Century Economist, by Kate Raworth, led by Stephen Thornhill

screenshot of zoom presentation

Artist presentation on community currency, feminismand the redefinition of the notions of value, worth and distribution by Ailie Rutherford, artist and initiator of the People’s Bank of Govanhill

screenshot of zoom presentation

Workshop on ‘Redrawing the Economy’: Great Island case, led by Colette Lewis and Miguel Amado

screenshot of zoom presentation

Artist presentation on the economy as a public realm and enterprise as art by Kathrin Böhm, artist and co-founder of the Centre for Plausible Economies, c/o Company Drinks

Blue outline of island with lots of sticky notes pasted on top

Redrawing the Economy : Great Island

Iceberg representation of a diverse economy created during the online workshop with participants using Miro board.

The iceberg model shape is based on an outline map of Great Island and maps the informal ’diverse economies’ operating on the island community.

Above the waterline the ‘Iceberg model’ maps wage labour, market exchange of commodities and capitalist enterprise. Below the waterline it maps all the non-market forms of exchange and transaction and

common knowledge operating within a community. It makes visible the transactions of care and cooperation and emotional labour that make up the majority of the whole economy.

Redrawing the Economy Iceberg model was devised by the Community Economies Research Network (CERN)

https://redrawingtheeconomy.info