The Corncrake Dollar is an alternative currency conceived by artist Seoidín O’Sullivan.

Members of the public can acquire the coins by participating in a seed exchange programme. Contributors are invited to collect and send seeds of plants essential to the nesting habits of the Corncrake, (Common Hogweed, Wild Angelica, Cow Parsley, Meadowsweet and Nettle) roughly enough to fill an A4 envelope. In exchange, they will receive an edition of the artwork. Full details on how to collect and post the seed can be found here.

Realised in collaboration with Corncrake LIFE, a conservation project working to improve habitat for corncrakes, the artwork proposes alternative value systems that benefit both human and non-human life at an urgent time of climate crisis and species extinction.

The Corncrake Dollar was first exhibited as part of the 40th EVA International (2023) and is part of The Sky is Falling! in Ormston House, September 2024.

For any inquiries, please email info@ormstonhouse.com.

Image courtesy of the artist.

About Seoidín O’Sullivan

O’Sullivan is a contemporary artist with a socially-engaged practice who lecturers in First Year Studies and Visual Culture at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Dublin. Her art projects are collaborative and focus on bringing people together in action to protect or develop an aspect of their Ecological Commons.

O’Sullivan is recipient of the Arts Council Bursary Award 2021; Arts Council Next Generation Award 2018; and the inaugural Hyde Park, Chicago art residency award with the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) and Create in 2017. She has recently been involved with a number of research projects with public arts institutions and galleries, including Solstice Arts Centre, Meath; Common Ground, Dublin; and University College Dublin’s School of Geography, Dublin. She has a Masters in Fine Art from NCAD (2005–2007) and postgraduate diplomas in Third Level Teaching and Learning (2010) and International Development Studies (2004). She currently lives in Dublin, Ireland. You can find full information about O’Sullivan here.