Date of Award
Spring 5-22-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
Digital Media
First Advisor
Mariela Yeregui
Second Advisor
Christopher R. Yates
Third Advisor
Sage Gerson
Abstract
This thesis explores how value is constructed and circulated outside of traditional monetary exchange systems. During two years of living in Providence, I collected hundreds of "free objects." For each item, I wrote a brief description detailing its physical characteristics, provenance, or emotional significance, and measure it according to four parameters: price, cost, weight, and value. Of these, "value" is subjectively defined by memories, emotional attachments, and it presented as relational equivalencies established within the collection itself.
It presented as an open-ended archive, this project functions simultaneously as an installation, an exchange system, and a visual database. The thesis proposes a framework for understanding value that transcends notions of ownership, utility, and economic standardization.
Recommended Citation
Cai, Yifei, "Commodity Beyond Price: A Visible Database of Free Objects" (2026). Masters Theses. 1565.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1565
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