The History of the Sunflower Foundation and Its Platforms
2021
1st half 2021
MoneyMuseum had been closed due to pandemic regulations. Our internal work focused on building a database for our library (scanning, comments on individual books, linking) and preparing for the ChinaForum: a multi-year lecture and discussion series on China. Of particular interest is the introduction of digital currency in China with potential transformation of the global monetary system.
February 2021
Publikatioin of the book “A Future without Money?", Mandelbaum Verlag, Vienna. Theoretical approaches and lived alternatives. With contributions from the Sunflower Group.
Changeover to Cyclos 4.0 software to support barter circles in Switzerland, with significant improvements.
March 2021
Opening of our exhibition "Law and Justice" in German and English with audio guide and explanations.
April 2021
Launch of our new, additional website moneymuseum.news with 40 curated online tours.
May 2021
Our book homepage "bookophile.com" reaches 85 contributions and is popular worldwide.
Publication of "Sustainable digital Finance in Switzerland" based on collaboration with foraus. The goal of our two-year support of foraus is to form the basis for discussions on “esg”.
June 2021
Collaboration with the Europainstitut of the University of Basel; a memorandum of understanding is drafted.
Cooperation with the University of Cusanus-Hochschule in Germany with the topic "Oekonomie - Geld - Gesellschaftsgestaltung”. A memorandum with a declaration of intent for the next two years is drawn up.
July 2021
The booklet "China - A Great Power in Transition" is published. This publication serves as the basis for our China Lecture Series 2022.
September 2021
Lisa Oehler becomes a new research assistant and focuses on didactics and teaching in the cooperation with Cusanus University, Koblenz.
October 2021
Exhibition “The Merchant in the 17th century” with exhibition catalog, audio guide, and text explanations.
Sunflower discussion Group meeting in Stans. Discussion about our publication “A Future without money?"
November 2021
Visit to Cusanus University in Koblenz. Participation in workshops and discussions.
China discussion at the MoneyMuseum: "The Chinese dream of a strong Nation" with specialist Dr. Saskia Hieber.
2022
full year
Focus throughout the year was on our efforts to bring our research on money logic to Academia. We deepened our collaboration with the Cusanus University, Koblenz as well as the student organizations Plurale-Oekonomik and Rethinking Economics.
February 2022
Participation in a study seminar at the Cusanus University in Koblenz. Intensified collaboration with various teachers at the university.
March 2022
Cooperation with the student organizations Plurale-Oekonomik.de in Germany and Rethinking Economics in Switzerland. Visit of the president of the Cusanus Hochschule Koblenz in Zurich and contract agreement for cooperation.
April 2022
Further contributions to our website moneymuseum.news by means of the online software service shorthand.com.
May 2022
Opening of our exhibition “Swiss History: Fact or Fake-News?” with audio, texts, and exhibition catalog.
First event of our China-Forum series with Prof. Ralph Weber: How adaptable is the Chinese Communist Party?
June 2022
Second event of our China-Forum series with Prof. Dirk Schmidt: The return of Socialism in the Chinese economy?
Writing contest on bookophile.com for students of the University of Erfurt, Germany.
July 2022
Seminar at the MoneyMuseum Zurich with students of the Cusanus University, Koblenz, Germany, organized by our team. 3 days workshop in Zurich on money issues, gift culture, blockchain applications.
August 2022
Discussion with NZZ correspondent Matthias Kamp, Beijing about the current state of affairs in China. How to experience the Corona Lockdowns up close, how does the population react? An eyewitness report.
Bookophile prize competition at the University of Erfurt as a trial run for further prize competitions: Prize crowning of the winner, publication of his entry on bookophile.com.
September 2022
China-Forum Event with Prof. K. Mühlhahn, President Zeppelin University, Friedrichshafen. Topic: The Beijing Paradox. Historical perspective on China's development over the last 400 years and the economic boom since 1980.
Oktober 2022
Collaboration with Plurale-Oekonomik.de and objective to publish five publications on "Money & Society" and "New Economics Education" in German and English within the next 9 months. The platform is consulted by many students of economics in German-speaking countries (over 30,000 monthly views).
November 2022
China-Forum Event with Prof. Kristin Shi-Kupfer. Topic: Digitalization - Blessing or Curse in China? Focus on society and digital media in China. The China Forum helps executives to better understand the multifaceted China.
December 2022
Opening of the exhibition "Astronomy - from divine power to physical law". Elaborate exhibition catalog, explanatory texts and audio guide.
In cooperation with Cusanus University in Germany, production of first booklets designed as templates for cross-institutional learning tools: "Education in Fragile Times" and "Worldviews in the Middle Ages" (Cultural History series) with explanatory videos, of which two more booklets are in progress.
2023
January 2023:
We welcome Florian Bally-Rommel to our team, who is dedicated to the field of plural economics and economic education. Our "New Economic Education" project develops in collaboration with the Koblenz School of Social Design.
Publication of the brochure "Vor-mit-nach dem Gelde", which portrays our three areas of analysis.
February 2023:
Publication of new learning material: Der berührende Raum, by Prof. W. Oetsch, series Weltbilder des Mittelalters bis zur Neuzeit.
March 2023:
"Doing Business in China" event at the MoneyMuseum. Series of three evenings. A Chinese entrepreneur could be engaged for this exchange of experiences.
ChinaForum event with Prof. A. Guder and Dr. M. Rudyak. Topic: Structure and political dimension of the Chinese language. The booklet Decoding China Dictionary was published. The China Dictionary explains how key terms of international relations are understood and used by the Chinese government and how this differs from the common understanding in the normative frameworks of the EU and the United Nations.
Publication "Phenomenology of Money" by Prof. Karl-Heinz Brodbeck for submission to students. The topic represents a new explanatory model in relation to money.
April 2023:
Launch of the new website bookophile.com after 6 months of reprogramming. Over 200 essays on the MoneyMuseum library are now presented in German and English. An ongoing expansion of the offer and newsletters are planned.
May 2023:
Launch of money courses on the moneymuseum.com website. We now offer moderated discussion groups on literature on shaping society. Through discussion, the connection between money and society can be more clearly perceived. For this purpose, the MoneyMuseum will also be open on Monday afternoons.
July 2023:
Discussion event at the MoneyMuseum with Patrick Zoll, NZZ journalist for geopolitics based in Taipei, Taiwan. Interesting update on the geopolitical significance of the South China Sea.
August 2023:
Establishing a dialog with the EconomyStudies group in Holland, known as pioneers in the development of teaching materials in Plural Economics for English-speaking educational institutions. Our cooperation focuses on the joint development of teaching content specifically dedicated to money literacy.
October 2023:
Exhibition opening "The Beautiful Book" at the MoneyMuseum, an introduction to the Arts & Craft movement, press prints and bibliophile offerings in Switzerland in the 20th century. Many works from the MoneyMuseum book collection will be presented and explained. An elaborate exhibition catalog has been produced to accompany the exhibition.
Start of a two-year partnership with the Hochschule für Gesellschaftsgestaltung in Koblenz to supplement didactic teaching. We are working on redesigning selected content from all lecturers and making it accessible to other educational institutions in Germany via a digital platform.
November 2023:
ChinaForum event with Frank Sieren on "The New World Order" on November 16. ChinaForum event with Prof. Maximilian Mayer from the University of Bonn on November 28 on digital central bank money and its current status, especially in China. Both events were well attended and generated intensive discussion.
Production of the film "Frank Calloway - the Money Case". In this detective film, a detective investigates the causes of the constant pressure for growth in the modern economy, which has serious consequences for the climate, for migration, social crises and democratic deficits. Supplementary booklets expand the film experience into a comprehensive money literacy course.
In a new project, the MoneyMuseum team has produced around 100 short videos with an average length of three minutes. These explanatory videos, which focus on the topic of money literacy, were developed thanks to AI-supported software. They complement our existing information offering and are available on video.moneymuseum.com, where they serve as a digital counterpart to our text-based resources on news.moneymuseum.com.
Introduction of a digital visitor tour that enables greater interactivity in the MoneyMuseum. Visitors can scan QR codes with their smartphones to access a wealth of short videos and texts on various topics. This interactive experience allows guests to dive deeper into the content and discuss it directly with our team. The virtualization of this content, enabled by the latest technologies from leading tech companies such as Apple, eliminates the need for infrastructure investments in the museum.
December 2023:
Participation in the "Fintopia.ch" exhibition, which will take place in Zurich from December 2023 to February 2024. Fintopia is an exploration of the mechanisms of our money and value systems, presented through art and design. This exhibition invites visitors to look at our financial world from a new perspective. The MoneyMuseum is responsible for several key events as part of this exhibition, contributing significantly to the success and depth of the experience.