The value we assign to everything is at the heart of our societal structure.

Everything is measured through the value given by the market economy.

Nature equals natural resources; human energy, creativity and time are translated into labor and traded like currency.

We spend over a third of our lives working.

In Romania, 1.8 million people earn the minimum wage – 24.900 RON / 5000 euros net for a year’s work, as set by Romanian legislation.

“Minimum” uses this sum as a measurement unit to create a visual atlas of the ways we assign value to our existence.

Author: Bogdan Tutuneanu

Minimum

Leukocyte-Depleted RBC Concentrate in additive solution – 33 units, adult. Blood Transfusion Center, Bucharest

Blood cannot be manufactured. It can only be given through donation, a voluntary and unpaid act. Only 2% of the adults in Romania actively donate blood, while a person needs blood products every three seconds, on average. A processed unit of whole blood can save the lives of up to three patients. Blood doesn’t have a price, but it requires a cost that is sustained and regulated by the state. Blood transfusion is a strategic national safety priority and the value of different blood products is established through Order no. 1479./2014, by the Ministry of Health. Immuno-hematological tests (blood group, Rh) are performed for each blood donation to ensure compatibility and further tested to detect potential pathogens that are transmitted through blood, viruses and bacteria. Each country establishes its blood testing scheme according to its epidemiological context. During summer months in Romania, for example, blood is tested for the presence of West Nile virus, which is transmitted to humans through the bite of certain mosquito species, which have emerged in recent years. Testing, separation of blood into erythrocytes, platelets and plasma, its preservation and distribution involves expensive technologies and highly qualified medical personnel to obtain safe blood components, essential to the receiving patients.

6000 sqm arable land. Niculițel, Tulcea county

Characteristics: Cambic chernozem (”black soil”), calcareous, slightly leached, on loess, slightly eroded, average hydraulic conductivity (2,5 mm/h), ph 7.1-8.4. Slightly sloped, arable. Located halfway between Gorgonel, Rotundu and Telincea lake system and E87 road.
Rapeseed, wheat, barley and rapeseed were cultivated in chronological order in the last years.

Recycled aluminum cans. JT Grup, Agighiol, Tulcea county

6.3 tons of compacted aluminum cans, the equivalent of 450,000 330ml units.

Seed wheat. Niculițel, Tulcea county

23 tons of seed wheat, freshly cleaned.
The resulting impurities can be observed in the foreground right pile.

Clothes, footwear and geese. Bâldana, Dâmbovița county

Generally speaking, the fixed price of these items is difficult to establish due to the unconventional strategies and reseller markets.

Bape Silver Shark Reflect Zip Up Parka Jacket, size L;
Supreme x Comme des Garçons Morrissey T-shirt, size L;
Nike x Off White Air Shoes presto Black, size 42;
Supreme Box Logo Urban Camo (dyed) Hoodie, size L;
The “Romanian” geese (white ones) each cost 30 euros and the Toulouse goose 80 euros.

Antiretroviral drugs (ARV), Bucharest

Different anti-HIV treatment schemes, required for 4 months
Treatment against HIV consists of combining several ARV drugs, with the aim of increasing the body’s immunity and reducing the viral concentration to an undetectable level. Undetectable means non-transmissible, sexually or from mother to fetus. The life expectancy of people who have access to continuous ARV therapy is similar to that of HIV-negative people. In Romania, there are 16,000 people living with HIV. The state offers free ARV treatment for 67% of them, 54% reaching viral suppression. ARV treatment is not commercial and is only distributed to the pharmacies of infectious diseases hospitals. Although uninterrupted access to ARV therapy is essential for the fight against the virus, these drugs are often missing. Since 2010, an international network of donors and volunteers made up of doctors, NGOs, activists and patients initiated by Alina Dumitriu from Sens Pozitiv Association has been striving to ensure the continuity of the treatment scheme for as many people as possible in the context of drug shortages in the system.

Butternut pumpkin. Lungulețu, Dâmbovița county

50 tons at wholesale price, with pick up by buyer.

‘Deranj Blondă’ craft beers. Ground Zero Bar & Restaurant, Bucharest

1082 artisanal lager, 500ml bottles, at bar price. Characteristics: Kölsch type ale, 4.9% alcohol, with a sweet taste of malt, a light fruity flavour owing to the American hops and a slightly bitter taste. Ingredients: water, malt, hops, yeast. Artisanal product, unpasteurised, unfiltered, without preservatives. Shelf life 6 months from date of bottling. Brewed by Matache Beraru at Ground Zero microbrewery in approximately 400 hectolitres/year. Total volume of beer photographed amounts to 5.41 hl.

50 grams at 100 euros/gram, 100 Ron bank-note.

11.5 tons of cabbage and various second-hand trailers. Lungulețu, Dâmbovița county

1.5 tons ‘white’ cabbage and 10 tons ‘Romanian’ cabbage, at wholesale prices.
7 ton trailer with two axles;
1.5 ton trailer built on ARO deck;
3 ton cart adapted for tractor use.

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