In her latest project, ‘Value’, London-based designer Angela Mathis gives old bank notes a new purpose with a diverse textile collection that is suitable for a variety of upholstery applications. Her work is presented in a series of upholstered stools, each containing combinations of various currencies, with an interesting emphasis on colour.

Currencies used in these new fabrics include the American ‘greenback’, the purple English pound, brown Indonesian rupees, and a virtual rainbow coming from the colour dense Euro.

Without a given value, any paper bill is actually worth nothing more than the material it is printed on; normally a mix of cotton and linen. The average life of a note is scarcely more than 18 months, after which it is decommissioned and burned. As the world’s economic heavyweights progress further, what will become of money as we know it? Furthermore, as digitalization continues to take over the concept of how, and with what, the world buys, sells, and trades, what will become of the banknote? ‘Value’ offers a fresh perspective on an age old material and concept.

You can watch a video showing how Value was made here. And more about Value’s creator, Angela Mathis, can be found here.

 

By Els Zijlstra