tokens (2020)
multi-media installation

Tokens is a multimedia installation that explores the implications of the terms of use and the monetary conditions imposed by sexcam-platforms and their payment partners on sex-cam workers. It does so by implementing the ‘viewing conditions’ directly into the exhibition in the form of an installation that applies them to the different works exhibited.

There are three works presented in the space: 1) a video showing cam-performers reading out different excepts of the terms-of-use imposed by the webcamplatforms, 2) an interactive web-sculpture showing different reviews, personal issues and other information about payment platforms linked to online sexwork through different fora and 3) a newspaper ticker showing stock-data, Alexa rankings and visitor counts of different cam websites.

Sexcam workers are completely reliant on big tech companies to provide them with payments. Where visitors of these sites can easily pay with their MasterCard or PayPal to purchase ‘tokens’ (the payment currency on many cam platforms), performers are struggling to get paid because these services don't want to 'engage in sex work-based services’. At the same time the performers have to agree with an extensive terms of use ‘contract’, that basically takes away all the rights of the performers and negates any liability by the platform.

Click here to read the text Antonia Hernández wrote for this project,
and here to see part of the work in your brower.

Tokens is made with the collaboration of artist and researcher Antonia Hernández

Thanks to the performers:
YoungRiceWang, Lady Morrigan, Oliver Valentine, Residual, Faith and Fawna Fuller.

Programming by Luke Murphy and web development by Tancredi Di Giovanni.

This project is produced as part of the Summer Sessions Network for Talent Development
in a co-production of V2_ Lab for the Unstable Media.