a kaleidoscopic journey through money

 

director and animator lachlan turczan has created a stunning video animation in collaboration with musician blake mills. titled ‘money is the one true god’, the six-minute-long music video has been made using imagery on banknotes from over 23 countries. the project takes viewers on a kaleidoscopic journey through the repeated motifs and iconic imagery on these bills, which reveal what humans have valued over time. the age of exploration leads to industrialization, wonders of the world are replaced by office buildings, and icons of freedom stand in stark contrast to images of slavery. the animation culminates with the collective eyes of all world leaders staring back at the audience.

lachlan turczan animates banknotes in 'money is the one true god'
engravings of oil rigs on the vietnamese 5000 dong note

 

 

‘money is the one true god’ first began as a covid lockdown passion project. lachlan turczan explains the process, ‘I made hi-resolution scans of banknotes from 23 countries around the world. I used machine learning to further enhance these scans so that I could zoom in on the intricacies of the engravings. using replacement animation techniques, the guilloché patterns wash over the viewer in a barrage of visual rhythms.’

lachlan turczan animates banknotes in 'money is the one true god'
a sunset on china’s 5 yuan note

lachlan turczan animates banknotes in 'money is the one true god'
portraits of two girls representing the dong & yao nationalities on china’s 1980 1 yuan banknote

lachlan turczan animates banknotes in 'money is the one true god'
the great wall of china seen on the 1980’s 1 yuan banknote

lachlan turczan animates banknotes in 'money is the one true god'
an engraving of tenochtitlan, the largest city in the pre-columbian americas, that is on mexicos’s 100 peso banknote

lachlan turczan animates banknotes in 'money is the one true god'
an engraving of florence nightingale holding a radiating lamp is on england’s 1975 10 pound note — nightingale is known as the founder of modern nursing

lachlan turczan animates banknotes in 'money is the one true god'
a portrait of patrice lumumba in bondage on the 500 congolese franc — he was the first prime minister of the independent democratic republic of the congo before his assassination

money is the one true god lachlan turczan animates banknotes in 'money is the one true god'
a portrait of samuel sharpe, an enslaved jamaican who was the leader of the widespread 1831–32 baptist war slave rebellion in jamaica — his portrait is on the 50 jamaican dollar banknote

 

 

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an engraving of slaves working in the field on the confederate's 100 dollar banknote first issued in 1861
an engraving of slaves working in the field on the confederate's 100 dollar banknote first issued in 1861
an engraving of the female figure of panama on the 1914 federal reserve note for 50 US dollars
an engraving of the female figure of panama on the 1914 federal reserve note for 50 US dollars
a portrait of queen elizabeth II on new zealand's 20 dollar note
a portrait of queen elizabeth II on new zealand's 20 dollar note
lighthouse imagery on norway's 50 krone note
lighthouse imagery on norway's 50 krone note

project info:

 

name: money is the one true god

director & animator: lachlan turczan

musician: blake mills

 

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: lynne myers | designboom