Crisis in the Credit System is a fictional foray into contemporary global market catastrophe, scripted and directed by artist Melanie Gilligan. A major investment bank runs a brainstorming and role-playing session for its employees, asking them to come up with strategies for coping with today’s dangerous financial climate. While diligently pursuing this task, five individuals inadvertently role-play their way into bizarre make-believe scenarios forming disturbing conclusions about the deeper significance of the credit crisis and its effects beyond the world of finance.
Making connections between Northern Rock and Das Kapital the short, TV-style episodes fuse philosophy and reportage to reflect the strangeness of our lives today; governed increasingly by abstract exchange and the accumulation of profit.
Crisis in the Credit System was commissioned and produced by Rehana Zaman in her role as Interaction Associate, a two year traineeship at Artangel Interaction. It is the result of extensive research and conversations with major hedge fund managers, key financial journalists, economists, bankers and debt activists.
This project is supported by Arts Council England, Artangel International Circle, Special Angels and The Company of Angels
