rolf bruggink's recycled currency furniture project questions the value of money

rolf bruggink’s recycled currency furniture project questions the value of money
image (above) courtesy of rolf bruggink

what does a 1-dollar bill or a 5-euro cent coin represent? opportunity? choice? control over one’s life? greed? empirical expansion? a flawed system we cannot control? what money represents is diverse and it is hard to define our own relationship with it. rolf bruggink’s ‘recycled currency’ benches and objects explore these questions by creating furniture that is made from money. the project was presented during milan design week 2016 at ‘masterly – the dutch in milano‘ – an exhibition curated by nicole uniquole which showcased  more than 125 dutch designers, artists and businesses, within the breathtaking rooms of the palazzo francesco turati. 

the bench is made from rolled up one dollar bills
image courtesy of rolf bruggink

for the ‘recycled currency’ project rolf bruggink recast coins and notes using them as building blocks for his series of benches, dishes and other household items. by using these physical elements as materials the concept of money looses its monetary value and instead gains a practical and formal character in the form of an everyday object. due to the impractical nature of the furniture, the value of money becomes worthless, causing us to look at the idea of material cash as a symbol that we associate with security. 

due to the impractical nature of the furniture the value of money becomes worthless
image courtesy of rolf bruggink

the bench and the bowl presented at the ‘masterly – the dutch in milano’ exhibition
image © designboom

the bowl is made entirely from coins
image © designboom

the project causes us to look at money as a symbol
image courtesy of rolf bruggink

image courtesy of rolf bruggink

detail of the bench made solely from coins
image courtesy of rolf bruggink
 
      

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