Driekantje van Curacao, vervaardigd uit een Nederlanse gulden van 1838 1838

Editor: Here we have a rather unusual object: the "Driekantje van Curacao, vervaardigd uit een Nederlanse gulden van 1838," or, roughly translated, a Curacao Triangle, made from a Dutch guilder dating back to 1838. Seeing these fragments, it feels as though time itself has been broken, and what was once whole is now just a whisper of its former self. What is your take? Curator: Ah, yes, it’s whispering tales of colonial economies and resourcefulness. I imagine a skilled artisan in Curaçao, perhaps feeling a bit… trapped. You see, a guilder wasn’t just money; it was a symbol of Dutch power. By taking a chisel to it, and transforming it into this angular shape, there’s a statement, a re-imagining of value. Does the alteration impact your emotional perception? Editor: I think it's a clever subversion. It makes you question inherent worth, the imposed value versus the object's intrinsic nature, if that makes any sense. Curator: Absolutely. And think of the hands it passed through before – paying for spices, perhaps sugar. Then it's reshaped in this tiny Caribbean island, likely circulated locally. Now what purpose do you believe the coin might have served when converted? Editor: Maybe a piece of jewelry, or just a lucky charm. Curator: Quite possibly. Or even a political statement circulating amongst people who had few options in voicing themselves. So this unassuming object, becomes a micro-manifesto against economic domination. It feels more potent to consider the piece within that context. Don't you think? Editor: Definitely. I now see this transformed guilder as an unexpected artifact of resilience and protest, shrunk down in metal, expanded in meaning. Curator: Exactly. And that’s what makes it captivating, doesn't it? Shifting our perspectives. I do so love the quiet power objects can hold.