Studio Brief 02 - Money. by Siegel, Katy & Mattick, Paul (2004)

 
The book, Money. by Siegel, Katy & Mattick, Paul (2004) provided some comments on the role of money in our society. 

"Money seems to be nothing but pieces of printed paper, or coins with a merely nominal worth."

In this statement we can infer that money is purely a symbol and used as a means for trade. Paper printed currency holds no worth in terms of material value. What gives the value are the printed numbers. Therefore when considering a design solution for the future of currency, it should emphasise on the symbol it represents, where it be to celebrate a nations triumphs or culture.

 "The power of money, its exchangibility for things we need or want, derives from the fact that it is a symbol. Money represents something essential to modern society, though otherwise invisible: the social character of productive labour."

The idea that money is a symbol rather than a commodity is further explained through this statement. And because we need money to survive in our society today, it surrounds us in every aspect of our daily lives. Therefore the visual impact of the new design must be considered because of how much exposure we have with our money and the amount of transactions we make daily. 

Here are a few ideas I gathered from the artworks displayed in the book

This piece of art by Cildo Meireles is a commentary on Brazil's administrations responsibility for the country's economic woes. These artworks closely imitated the real currency and was circulated as money. The unlimited editions of these prints were significant at a time where Brazil was in a period of political repression and hyperinflation. Hence the appropriateness in its intended commentary. By mass printing these artworks he was lowering their value, just like Brazils government and its national currency. This inspired the idea to use the paper currency as a platform to comment on political affairs of a country. Especially regarding corruption where it has been a topic of intrigue no matter the era. More specifically, the note could be a commentary on the recent Malaysian Prime Minister's issue regarding a $1bn deposit into his personal bank account from Saudi leaders. The note in effect becomes satire and a piece of art rather than a functioning solution to the purpose of money. Therefore this idea, although valid from a artistic standpoint, does not meet the criteria of the Brief. 

Even though the Mona Lisa is constantly reproduced, it still remains as an artistic symbol. It serves as a point in designing the new currency. The new design should be a symbol of the nation, it should be easily recognisable and it should be able to retain its visual value even after being mass produced. 

This artwork is an inspiration to transfrom the bank note into an advert that promotes or sells the country's worth. With the artwork showing mass production of consumer based goods, it highlights capitalism and in effect could be a way for the design to promote the spending of money.   

This influenced the idea for the bank note to celebrate money by displaying influential places of commerce in the past. By doing so, it would help the public learn more about the history of the nation whilst relating to the subject of money.