Interview with Matthieu Laurette

Social Hackers, octubre – noviembre 2001

Cristina Ricupero

As in many other projects, I was interested in making direct interventions in what is the basic element of the trading system: the regulated circuit of products and values. With El Gran Trueque concept, the purchase of a less valuable object becomes an exchange medium to obtain an object that is worth more. A pamphlet distributed in 150,000 homes, throughout Bilbao, provided all the city residents with information about the project. At the same time, we were producing daily TV spots and a weekly TV program. After a few weeks, by word of mouth, it became a kind of social phenomenon… After discussing with our lawyers, I decided to copyright the concept for sale, I mean a real product.