Forking Sovereignty! Mutates Through Contagion! _ Part II
- Tzu-Tung Lee
- Mar 25
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 27
Contaminating the Self-Ownership
Forkonomy() establishes a model and practice of reappropriating, queering, and pirating economy and autonomy from a sea of commonwealth. Elinor Ostrom, along with scholars from the field of Resource Economics, often defines the commons as common pool resources (CPR). According to this definition, commons are goods that exhibit a high degree of subtractability of use and a high difficulty in excluding potential beneficiaries. Historian Peter Linebaugh has emphasized on the concept of commoning, depicting that commoning was originated from the concept of gift economy, and helps provide a bulwark of protection against rapacious state power and the wealthy, and it is a processual approach that takes into consideration the influence that we humans have upon the more-than-human.John Locke wrote in his Two Treatises on Government (1689) that "every man has a Property in his own Person," and “only God fully owns our lives.” However, as depicted earlier, colonial practices negated racialized bodies as "human," canceled their self-ownership, and violently colonized their bodies.
From Marx’s perspective, capitalism compels those without means of production to sell their labor-power under the illusion of free will. Under capitalist conditions, bodies become the only means of production available to workers—bodies that are "owned" by individuals as sovereign property. This concept underpins the neoliberal notion of self-ownership, where bodies are treated as commodities, and even sexuality becomes a form of property that can be marketed or owned. This possessive logic aligns the sexualized body-object with the illusion of transparency and self-determination, creating identities that appear liberated but remain deeply embedded in neoliberal ideals and exclusions.
The term "queer," which once represented radical difference and resistance, has increasingly been reappropriated by the neoliberal free market, producing new forms of exclusion through post-colonial spectatorship and the maintenance of identity legitimacy and visibility, thereby obscuring individual differences. The marginalized are often compelled to self-produce and adapt their identities to external norms in order to be legible within societal structures.How can we perceive identity beyond the lens of self-owned commodities and toward the concept of the commons? Perhaps we need to shift from using a light microscope to an electron microscope to better see how humanity is interconnected. While Forkonomy() uses the fluidity of the South China Sea to question claims of sovereignty, my other work from 2019, Positive Coin, utilizes HIV, the AIDS virus, as a device to mock, contaminate, and apply commoning to neoliberal identities. As the virus spreads and infects among bodies, it penetrates the separation of skin-deep identity narratives. When disease is spread or “gifted” like a commons, it challenges the commodification and ownership of bodies and identities.
The Price of Stigma
Positive Coin is a digital currency crafted to play with the perceptions surrounding AIDS identity. By referencing the term "positive," it indicates both an HIV diagnosis and how the HIV community is compelled to remain upbeat in a heteronormative, ableist society.When first exhibited at Taipei C-Lab and MOCA in 2019, the coin featured designs inspired by HIV's biological characteristics, symbolizing different aspects of the virus. Participants could purchase Positive Coins online using traditional fiat currency. Upon purchase, they received one of four types of coins, each representing one of the four major HIV subtypes. These coins were randomly distributed to participants' digital wallets.
Mimicking HIV subtypes characteristics, the coin's features included varying interest rates and survival times. For example, the Type 1 Coin offered the highest interest rate and the longest survival time, mirroring HIV-1 Group M, which multiplies rapidly but is less fatal and requires less maintenance compared to other strains. Different coin types had varying handling fees and maintenance costs, reflecting the differing virulence and treatment complexities of HIV subtypes. The coins expired within 14 to 21 days unless participants revisited exchange centers located in C-Lab to clear a handling fee, simulating the ongoing management and attention required when living with HIV.Moreover, it was also designed with interactive features that simulate viral mutation. When two participants scanned their wallets at an ATM located in MOCA, their Positive Coins interacted, randomly mixing interest rates and handling fees. The ATM screen showcased a story of how HIV may be transmitted in different cultures. This feature mimicked how HIV can mutate and combine into new strains, emphasizing the unpredictability of shared viral branches under various socio-political complexities.
The project also incorporated a price fluctuation mechanism based on current stigma levels associated with HIV/AIDS. The coin's price fluctuated accordingly: if stigma levels rose, the price of the Positive Coin increased, reducing the incentive for outsiders to purchase goods with it and symbolizing social exclusion. Conversely, when stigma levels decreased, the coin's price lowered, making it easier for those outside the community to engage, representing social acceptance. Higher stigma levels encouraged stronger bonds and cohesion among Positive Coin holders, reflecting marginalized communities' internal support networks.At the project's conclusion, participants could use their accumulated Positive Coins to bid on HIV-related artworks and goods in an art auction. Proceeds from the auction were donated to non-governmental organizations focused on HIV, creating a full monetary circle. Positive Coin simulates HIV's growth, medical control, mutation, and the dynamics within the disease identity community, as letting Positive Coin holders experience a piece of an HIV-positive person’s life.
