angela mathis turns money into textiles for value stool series

angela mathis questions the future of money in value project
images courtesy of angela mathis

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, and digitalization continues to take over the concept of how, and with what, the world buys, sells, and trades.

all four benches currently in the series 
image courtesy of menno

without their given value, any paper bill is worth nothing more than its material composition; whatever that may be. the average life of a note is scarcely more than 18 months, after which it is decommissioned and destroyed. as the world’s economic heavyweights progress further, what will become of money as we know it?

rotterdam-based designer angela mathis proposes an answer in her latest project, ‘value’. old notes are adapted to serve a new purpose, forming a diverse textile collection capable of being applied to various upholstery needs. she presents the work in a series of stools, each containing combinations of various currencies: the american dollar, the purple english pound, brown indonesian rupees, and the color dense euro. 

life cycle chart  

color palette 

euro note fabric 

security marks are highlighted under a uv light, proving their authenticity 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: nick brink | designboom