Sunday, 11 October 2009

  • Making Art Out Of Money: Would You Do This In A Recession?

    Okay so apparently there is this tattoo artist, Scott Campbell, who had the brilliant idea that he should take HUGE stacks of $1 dollar bills and create laser cut art out of it. LINK


    Image Source

    Do I even need to say how incredibly stupid, not to mention illegal, this is? We are in a recession and the dude is using REAL money to cut up and make into art! What was using fake money not good enough? Would it somehow lose it's coolness factor if it were fake. I mean look at those pictures! He isn't using one or two, he is using stacks of 50-100 dollars! It seems to me that he could have just used regular paper and the art would still look just as good and be just as effective. This is nothing more than rubbing salt into the wound.

    I am an artist too and can appreciate good art, but it seems to me that this money could have been better used getting donated to a cause to help those who are losing their jobs ad homes to the recession. Yes the guy might make hundreds of dollars selling these pieces, but considering the amount of disregard of the current economic situation, I highly doubt he will be doing anything good with it.


    What are your thoughts? Do you think this is wrong or are you okay with it?

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Comments (60)

  • laytexduckie@xanga

    Maybe it is a statement on the recession. I'm an artist too, and to me, a message he is probably saying is that you shouldn't be caught up in the money, but rather how you live right now. I think the message in prominent in the second piece: "To only worry about money will be the death of you."

    You can also toss the "donation" argument to those who are filthy rich, yet sit on their money and do nothing with it.
  • The_Aimed_Wanderer@xanga

    I love art, but art doesnt love me. I dont understand it a lot of times. People do the most stupidest things and call it "art". And just as stupid, people pay a lot of money for things called "art". sigh
  • shadowsandsorrow@xanga

    I think that is a very creative and interesting piece of art. Sure they used a lot of money, but it is nice that he felt the need for it to be authentic. What should we care, it's their money anyways.
  • TrishaJustTrisha@xanga

    You really shouldn't be mentioning that this guy should be donating this money to a cause, unless you yourself, have donated your extra 50-100 dollars to a cause every time. This is his form of art, and if he can afford it, so be it. I think him using real dollars is a really nice idea. Considering that the paper dollar is literally worth almost nothing. There is no real money backing our paper and coins, so why does it matter? This art is anti-materialistic, which is nice to see in a world of coach purses and oakleys glasses. He doesn't let money rule him, and treats it how it is, which is a piece of paper.
  • kayteeiiee@xanga

    I agree with the comment above. You are making too big of a deal on nothing...it's his money, he does what he wants with it.
  • Magniloquentia@xanga

    Looooool. You couldn't be more wrong here. If anything, he's taking worthless paper and ADDING value to it by making it an appreciatable art. That paper has no intrinsic value, is based on no fixed asset, and is only worth anything because the government has made it illegal for you to use any other form of currency.
  • anonymous

    There are plenty of reasons why I completely disagree with your opinion of Scott's dollar art. First of all, using paper instead of real dollars would make the pieces look fake and cheap and normal paper would not have near the same durability and effect. In my opinion Scott has found the perfect answer to the recession - not treating money as a god. It is only because of the pursuit of money at the cost of morals that the recession occurred in the first place. Not a single dollar was wasted in the creation of these pieces - the value of each of these notes has increased multifold! In my opinion Scott is a genius who's dollar art involves extremely high levels of skill and creativity. And as far as your comment regarding donating the money instead goes, I know for a fact that Scott is a very giving person who has very generously contributed to charitable causes. He deserves nothing but praise.
  • Rosa

    I would like to adjust my comment above - even if Scott was using paper instead of money, his art is too skillful to ever look fake or cheap no matter what medium he uses... not using real money for this would defy the whole point of the message.
  • methodElevated@xanga

    I see nothing wrong with it.  Money is only valuable because we perceive it as valuable; other than that, it's nothing more than printed cottony paper.  I say it makes for a fine canvas.
  • confessi0nal@xanga

    @TrishaJustTrisha@xanga - agreed, agreed, agreed.
  • MissPixieGlitter@xanga

    well, it's illegal because he's taking money out of circulation. is it "wrong?" no. it's his money, and he can do whatever he pleases whether or not there is a recession. if he's able to sell it for more than the bills required to produce it, i'd say that's pretty clever and lucrative.
  • papillonquotes@xanga

    Has anyone even stopped to consider the money to be made just from if he sells it. Art, when its sold properly tends to sell for very high prices. If he sells it, in the right way, he would make much more than he used. I love it! 
  • Parsimony@xanga

    Tampering with legal tender that way seems wrong in a wasteful way (if not illegal) but the effect is beautiful.  I agree though, he could have done it w counterfeit bills.
  • FireYourBoss@xanga

    I'm surprised (and disappointed) that you couldn't see past the stacks of dollar bills.
  • Born261YearsTooLate@xanga

    "I don't care what they call me as long as they mention my name." - George M. Cohen


    Tampering with or defacing legal tender is a violation of federal law, and the best thing to happen to Scott Campbell would be if he were arrested by the feds. Why? Think of the publicity.
  • lala_smileee_x@xanga

    i agree with everybody, using fake money would have no meaning to it.
  • Delia712@xanga

    could the use of real money signify something in itself? yes! this is going to get attention. i bet that buyer of this art are going to pay more than the 50 single bills he destroyed. and another thing: its illegal? since when, i've heard of burning of flags and things of that nature being a expression of the right to free speech or something like that. he cant possibly get into trouble for cutting a couple of his OWN money, right?
  • Shy___Away@xanga

    @Delia712@xanga - Money is technically the property of the federal government, just as mail boxes are property of the postal service. That's why it's illegal. I think it's dumb, but whatever. It's their money.
  • B1ANCACACA@xanga

    @TrishaJustTrisha@xanga - I completely agree.
  • afburd@xanga

    I'm not familiar with the legalities of what he has done, but I do find it very creative.  Taking money out of circulation is doing this economy a favor.  It seems to be the only way people are going to learn to live on less.
  • emptyspiral@xanga

    psshhhhh that fool is crazy
    shoulda gave me that money so's i could buy some wine or some shit
  • makethemakersmile@xanga

    i actually really dont have a huge problem with it...
  • febtin2@xanga

    i agree. this is stupid. stupid as stupid can get. 
  • hedcandy@xanga

    he's an artist, and he caught your attention wether or not you like the idea now you know about him and are talking about him. Maybe he was trying to catch a break and he got it. Plus I think his art is sick. and the idea is too . Its his vision and his money so whose problem is it but his
  • articulate_silence@xanga

    They're singles, and the guy can do what he wants with it. I'm and artist too, and if I came up with the idea and could afford it then sure, I'd do it too.

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