World Currency, 2009
Artist's Statement
We work for it; we need it for transportation, for fun, for status, and we even need it to survive. Money is an integral part of our society, whether we want it to be or not. Looking past the social, political and utilitarian aspects of currency, I created a body of work that takes a closer look at these pieces of paper that are handled so frequently.
What is apparent in my images is not the assigned value of the bill, but the intricate designs that are overlooked by many people in their frequent use of money. The fact that few people take notice of these details demonstrates our preoccupation with material objects. Due to counterfeit issues, the use of guilloche patterns are commonly applied in the design of paper currency. The pattern contributes both as a security feature and as an attractive design element.
Each image in World Currency is of a different country's currency; some are still in circulation, others are not. My work focuses on the beauty of the mundane by taking an intimate visual perspective on currency.
We work for it; we need it for transportation, for fun, for status, and we even need it to survive. Money is an integral part of our society, whether we want it to be or not. Looking past the social, political and utilitarian aspects of currency, I created a body of work that takes a closer look at these pieces of paper that are handled so frequently.
What is apparent in my images is not the assigned value of the bill, but the intricate designs that are overlooked by many people in their frequent use of money. The fact that few people take notice of these details demonstrates our preoccupation with material objects. Due to counterfeit issues, the use of guilloche patterns are commonly applied in the design of paper currency. The pattern contributes both as a security feature and as an attractive design element.
Each image in World Currency is of a different country's currency; some are still in circulation, others are not. My work focuses on the beauty of the mundane by taking an intimate visual perspective on currency.