too much? by amarist + alejandro monge questions the value of money
all images courtesy of atelier amarist

 

 

 

‘too much?’ by atelier amarist and alejandro monge is an example of when contemporary art and design become one. the sculptural dining table, consists of a glass cube containing partially burnt notes with a thin biofuel flame rising above its surface. each intricate detail was taken into consideration as the artist meticulously reproduced the bills by gluing and coloring each individual piece of paper. yet, according to the artist, ‘the most complicated part of the process was to simulate the effect of burnt paper eaten by flames never using fire to achieve it.’ this required the use of a hyper-realistic technique which simulated the effect of a burning fire morphing and petrifying ashes with resin. consequently, the furnishing is meant to provoke deep thoughts within the mind of the viewer about the significance and value of money, time, and people. ‘a note is a dyed piece of paper that represents a number, 10, 20, 50 dollars, yens, euros. a figure that we exchange in order to acquire something wanted. a figure that within itself has no more value than the one given to the job or the time traded,’ said monge.

 


video courtesy of atelier amarist

amarist alejandro monge too much table money
view of the table in the darkness

amarist alejandro monge too much table money
the fire is created with a thin biofuel

amarist alejandro monge too much table money
the hardest part of the process was recreating the appearance of burning banknotes

amarist alejandro monge too much table money
detail of the replicated bills

amarist alejandro monge too much table money
details of the euros

amarist alejandro monge too much table money
view of the artist steadily painting

amarist alejandro monge too much table money
unlit view of the table

amarist alejandro monge too much table money
each individual bill was created by hand

amarist alejandro monge too much table money
work in progress with stacks of paper

amarist alejandro monge too much table money
monge spraying the bills with grey paint

amarist alejandro monge too much table money
work in progress

 

 

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