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Value, Solidarity, and Money Reimagined

Step into Species Humaines / Fides, a participatory and socially engaged installation by artist duo gethan&myles, created in collaboration with the association La Chorba. The work questions the value of money through 70,000 demonetized coins piled in a wheelbarrow—symbolizing abundance or crisis—and cyanotype banners capturing real hands of volunteers and beneficiaries, evoking trust (fides) and human connection.

At the Musée de la Monnaie de Paris, this piece is integrated into the permanent exhibition, transforming an economic symbol into a poetic and political medium. Each visitor is invited to take home a polished coin as a keepsake or return it with a gesture of solidarity, placing the public at the heart of a social dilemma about sharing and inclusion.

Commissioned by the institution, the installation re-enchants money by restoring human connection, using traditional techniques like cyanotype that fade over time but regenerate in the dark—a mirror to the fragility and resilience of society.

Dates and Duration

From 3 October 2025 to 8 March 2026, this installation spans five and a half months, extending the conversation about value into spring and allowing for an evolving interaction with the public.

Open Tuesday to Sunday, with guided tours such as the one on 22 October 2025, organized by the Irish Cultural Centre.

This generous duration allows for repeat visits, observing how the work lives and changes through visitors’ choices.

Opening Hours

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 6pm (late opening Wednesday until 9pm, last entry 30 minutes before closing), closed Mondays and public holidays such as 1 January, 1 May, and 25 December.

Interaction with the artwork takes about 10–15 minutes within the permanent exhibition, ensuring a smooth experience.

These flexible hours suit urban schedules while encouraging a contemplative discovery.

Address and Access

Full address: Musée de la Monnaie de Paris, 11 quai de Conti, 75006 Paris.

Located on the Left Bank near Pont des Arts, the museum is accessible by metro (line 4, Odéon station; line 10, Mabillon station) or RER B and C (Saint-Michel Notre-Dame station).

This historic 18th-century building, with its courtyard engraved with fides, amplifies the artwork, blending monetary architecture with contemporary reflection.

Tickets and Accessibility

Admission is €12 full price (€8 reduced for students, seniors, and groups); free for EU visitors under 26.

The installation is included in the museum ticket; audio guides and accessibility features (elevators, ramps) ensure full inclusion.

This balanced pricing makes artistic engagement democratic, welcoming a diverse audience sensitive to solidarity.

Artistic Context

Based in Marseille, the Franco-Irish duo gethan&myles—trained in fine arts and design—have been creating visceral and cerebral experiences since 2010, redefining co-creation and the social role of art through immersive installations like The Weight of Things (2018), which explored collective memory.

Collaborating with La Chorba—a charity fighting hunger and exclusion since 2018 through food distributions—they transform demonetized coins (donated by DRFIP Hauts-de-France, polished in Pessac) into symbols of trust, stitching phrases like Save Us or Means of Exchange onto banners.

Integrated into the Monnaie de Paris’s permanent exhibition, this commission—featuring cyanotypes that evoke photographic fragility—affirms the institution as an engaged patron, linking economy, humanism, and creativity to reimagine the social contract.