Without their given value, any paper bill is worth nothing more than its material composition; a mix of cotton and linen. The average life of a note is scarcely more than 18 months, after which it is decommissioned and burned. As the world’s economic heavyweights progress further, what will become of money as we know it? Money is, in itself, nothing more than a piece of paper or a shiny coin.
The economies of the world give currencies form, but their tangibility isn’t necessary for their assigned values. Furthermore digitalization continues to take over the concept of how, and with what, the world buys, sells, and trades.
In her graduation project ‘Value’, London based designer Angela Mathis used their material advantage and adapted old notes to serve a new purpose, forming a diverse textile collection capable of being applied to various upholstery needs.
The work is presented in a series of stools, each containing combinations of various currencies: the American dollar, the purple English pound, brown Indonesian rupees, and the colour dense euro.
Take a look at the short video of how the material was made and fitted below, and for her website please visit here.