After the ReDe$ign is Over ...
some time in the not too distant future
So we ran a competition, we engaged the public, we got the media excited and then we held a national competition with major prizes and everyone was very happy with the end result. We met the President and our end goal was eventually met: the United States of America was no longer in recession. Yet, the question still remained, ‘what should we do with all the money we just redesigned – the old greenbacks?’ Do not despair. We have of course been wondering the same thing.
One possibility might be to commission Israeli designer, Nitsan Debbi, to come up with something similar to the wallets and purses she produced depicting all those ‘useless,’ but beautiful, European bank notes. What a great idea. This way every nostalgic American who still feels the need to remind his or her self of the past can easily whip out one of these (obviously with an old Dollar bill slapped on the side) and take comfort in the fact that not all is forgotten. It would be like a gentle reminder of the ‘good old days.’ Alternatively, why not take all those quarters you were saving - that are now no longer usable - and turn them into a new ‘comfy’ couch, just like the curvaceous furniture designed by Vermont based designer, Johnny Swing. Just think, every time you sit down to watch your favorite reality TV show and for that moment when you’re not quite sure if what you’re watching is real or not. You can simply look down at your coin-couch™ and remind yourself what life was like before ‘the redesign’ and feel rest assured that at least now you have a couch to sit on.
But our favorite idea comes from artist Hanna von Goeler. For Goeler, currency is about the idea of ‘exchange.’ She says, 'my currency is painting and drawing, my mind, ideas and spirit. Money is what is there, currency is what I've added. Drawing and painting money makes us notice its reproductive quality, as well as providing a textured way of various roles the object plays. Painting on money also gives me some sense of power to determine - rather than be controlled by money's function within society. This relates to the concept of agency; it explores the extent to which we have the power to define rather than be defined by the currencies in our culture.’ Perhaps a little lofty for your ‘average’ Joe, but at the same time, at least Goeler is actually adding some value to a currency that is basically valueless. So next time you look in your wallet and wonder how on earth you’re going to make ends meet, remember, a little ‘change’ is always a good thing. Story gathered from numerous posts made on DesignBoom.com which you can read in full here … (RS)
