Suzanne Carlsen

Since the dawn of civilization the world’s deep fascination with Gold has created a complicated relationship with the material. Whether used as a sign of power, wealth or strictly as adornment there hasn’t been a single part of the world that has escaped the draw of Gold.

Up until the 1930’s, the power of Gold was still very evident with the strength of a nation’s currency attributed mainly to the amount of Gold reserves it held in its vaults. Gold now is no longer directly connected to money following the death of the Gold Standard. No one will argue that Gold still represents power whether it be in a monetary sense or an ideological one but if it serves no actual function beyond that of adornment or theoretical wealth then what is its actual function and where does its value come from? Gold’s worth has risen substantially since its monetary ties have been cut and the desire to own the precious material is as strong as ever. With few functional or usable properties for science or industry like other metals and if not directly linked to National Currencies then what function does it serve today?

With this work I investigate the question: What resources, either currently or in the future, will determine a nation’s power, strength and wealth like Gold has done? In our ever-advancing world high demand and increasing scarcity, how will a country’s ability to generate, produce and store electric power, food, oil, and water play a role in it’s attempt to quantify its relative global power and wealth that was until recently determined by Gold?