The People's Bank of Govanhill has grown from a series of ad-hoc exchanges and currency experiments I began during my residency with Govanhill Baths in 2015 into a long-term collaborative project. The work explores ways of putting feminist economics into practice in community contexts, ideating radically different economic models beyond capitalism.

As the work has expanded into collaborations and inter-local projects across the globe, with one foot still very much rooted in the local community, The People's Bank of Govanhill has evolved into women-led* collective Feminist Exchange Network. *inclusive of transgender and intersex women as well as non-binary and gender fluid people who are comfortable in a space that centres the experience of women

Our Govanhill exchange space "Swap Market" ran from 2018-2020, transforming a former pawn shop into a place for swapping and sharing resources without the need for money. swapmarket.info

I continue to devise and collaborate with other artists on FEN projects locally and internationally such as Feminist Economics Football and Planet Abundance, a collectively imagined feminist science fiction world.

Core membership of the international Community Economies Institute, connects this community centred practice with a global movement where methodologies and research are shared across non-capitalist and decolonialist economic projects.

For more information visit the project blog at:
feminist-exchange-network.swapmarket.info

Articles:
Making Space for Creative Feminist Care by Heather McLean for Progressive City
Creative Arts-Based Geographies by Heather McLean for Acme Journal
Love Proliferating Outwards by Ailie Rutherford for Frame Finland
Case study: People’s Bank of Govanhill & The Swap Market
independent.co.uk
creativescotland.com
commonspace.scot
ft.com
farnearer.org
queenofthetrack.com
a-n.co.uk
commonspace.scot