Currency Collages

Posted by Miss Cellania in Arts & Crafts, Money & Finance on June 16, 2009 at 10:23 am



Artist Mark Wagner takes one dollar bills and cuts them with an Exacto knife, then reassembles them into works of art that sometimes have no resemblance at all to the original bill.

The one dollar bill is the most ubiquitous piece of paper in America. Collage asks the question: what might be done to make it something else? It is a ripe material: intaglio printed on sturdy linen stock, covered in decorative filigree, and steeped in symbolism and concept. Blade and glue transform it-reproducing the effects of tapestries, paints, engravings, mosaics, and computers-striving for something bizarre, beautiful, or unbelievable… the foreign in the familiar.

Link -via Reddit


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COMMENT

12 comments to "Currency Collages"

  1. Idil
    June 16th, 2009 at 10:35 am

    wouldn't this have some weird effect on the economy somehow? :/

  2. Gauldar
    June 16th, 2009 at 10:44 am

    Probably the same as pissing it away gambling then having all that money end up in a Swiss bank account. Business as usual.

  3. Johnny#@
    June 16th, 2009 at 10:50 am

    I was really astounded by some of these. Really intricate and detailed.

  4. LisaL
    June 16th, 2009 at 10:59 am

    Some of them are neat... but.. *shrugs* Seems like a waste of money.
    I guess he's not a starving artist :P

  5. tmary
    June 16th, 2009 at 11:16 am

    * United States Code
    o TITLE 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
    + PART I - CRIMES
    # CHAPTER 17 - COINS AND CURRENCY

    U.S. Code as of: 01/19/04
    Section 333. Mutilation of national bank obligations

    Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or
    unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank
    bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national
    banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal
    Reserve System, with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note,
    or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined
    under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

  6. AmyG
    June 16th, 2009 at 11:41 am

    tmary, I was going to make a reference to the same thing but you actually found the code itself! Surely he uses bills that have been pulled out of circulation, with permission? In any case these are quite beautiful and impressive.

  7. LisaL
    June 16th, 2009 at 1:13 pm

    I was wondering about that myself tmary, but wasn't sure if what I had heard was true or not. Guess so!

  8. Alex
    June 16th, 2009 at 1:56 pm

    Wait - so do those uncut sheets of money sold from by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing are illegal? Maybe they have special permission ...

  9. Splint Chesthair
    June 16th, 2009 at 2:12 pm

    The U.S. Code cited above is an intent-based issued. The only case law it was ever cited in is one involving fraudulent altering.

    The key words to understanding section 333 are "with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued"

    Most people will understand this as defacement (such as shredding) so as the bill is no longer able to be used as a bill (i.e. no one would take it). In reality, in means more along the line of defacement so as when the bank takes it as a deposit and realizes something is wrong (likes it's half a $20 and half a $2 taped together but counted as $20). Now the bank can't re-issue it.

    Bottom line, it's not illegal to tear up your own money.

  10. ted
    June 16th, 2009 at 8:33 pm

    Just dumb.

  11. Cola
    June 18th, 2009 at 5:16 am

    I don't think it's dumb. I think you have nothing interesting to say.

  12. C.K.Wilde
    June 20th, 2009 at 11:36 am

    For more currency collage please visit : http://www.alternatingcurrency.com


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