The First thing I looked at for this brief was the brixton pound, this was suggested in our briefing. It was a great one to start with because It showed me instantly that my currency could be more than just a remake of the current currency. It could be something which works alongside maybe something which could be used within 3rd world countries somehow, these are just my initial thoughts which will be expanded through brainstorm. The brixton pound was created when independent businesses where struggling its to support a community and means more to people that just money its self. The design them selfs in some way or another relate strongly to brixton its self, parts being taken form architecture and some from people who have done something for the community such as David bowey or garrison a social activist.
The Brixton Pound Misson
The B£ has several goals, which are to:
- Help protect jobs and livelihoods of community members within Brixton through developing a strong local economy
- Support and build diversity and resilience in the local Brixton economy in light of difficult economic times and chain store power
- Raise community awareness of the local Brixton economy
- Encourage and facilitate a self help model and ethos in order to protect the social and financial futures of the residents of Brixton
- Encourage local sourcing of goods to decrease CO2 emissions
- Raise Brixton’s profile regionally and nationally and contribute to positive perceptions of Brixton by drawing attention to its strong community, diverse economy and capacity for innovation
https://brixtonpound.org/what
http://lfb.org/create-your-own-currency-in-four-simple-steps/
Looking into regional currencies.
A reinvented dollar which focuses on the people of the country rather than its founding fathers. influence for it is taking from the swiss franc was conceptualized to showcase banknotes that placed greater emphasis on the accomplishments of the living, rather than "codifying myth or legend." His reinterpretations include elements from the existing bank notes such as the eagles, the US flag, and the Treasury seal.
Pop Culture Cash by James Charles
The familiar faces on American paper currency are transformed into faces that are just as recognizable – but far more modern. James Charles turns George Washington and Abe Lincoln into the Tin Man, Spock, Yoda, an Oompa Loompa, Mr. T, Iggy Pop and many other pop culture figures. Experimenting with ink and papers that are virtually identical to those used by the U.S. Mint, Charles even alters the text below each figure, adding sayings like ‘Pity the Fool’, ‘Tea Party MILF’ and ‘Chicken Choker’. This concept gave me an idea of maybe making something slightly provocative but placing all the people/companies who run the country through wealth to benefit themselves rather than other.
Dollar Bill Koi by Mizu Kami and Won Park
(images via: mizu kami)
Noted currency artist Won Park came up with the design for this intricately folded origami koi fish made from a dollar bill, which was physically created by Mizu Kami.
My Money, My Currency by Hanna von Goeler
(images via: if it’s hip it’s here)
Artist Hanna von Goeler blocks out large areas on dollar bills, leaving only select details behind. Says the artist, “My currency work originated in California, while I was studying at UC Davis. I was very interested in camouflage at the time. This interest led me to create my first paintings on dollar bills, between 1992-94, in which I camouflaged/painted images onto and into bills. A death in the family led me to the east coast, and faced with the costs of living in New York City on an artist’s budget, I continued to paint on money.” This gave me thoughts of doing something with paint onto of current notes to create a new personal currency, or even a currency which can be painted on by anybody. So each is personal to the community.
Research taken from http://weburbanist.com/2011/07/25/more-money-more-art-32-currency-creations/
History of Money
Money began with trading items thing such as grain or cattle. Many cultures around the world eventually developed the use of commodity money. In places such ancient China, Africa, and India they used cowry shells as currency. A seasnail
Aristotle's opinion of the creation of money as a new thing in society is:
Around 700 B.C., the Lydians became the first Western culture to make coins. Other countries and civilizations soon began to mint their own coins with specific values. Using coins with set values made it easier to compare values and trade money for goods and services.
From this information I can see that currency was not always notes and coins its been a long process to actually get to where we are now. Beginning with the trading of items worth value in certain parts of the world etc. This gives me Items of looking at when money will go next or is this the final stage of print money will it all go digital?
(Research taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_money)
Facts about money
Cattle (which include sheep, camels, and other livestock) are the first and oldest form of money. In parts of Africa, cows were used as money until the mid-1900s. Each head of cattle was called a caput, which is Latin for “head.” So, a person with a lot of cattle had lots of caput or “capital,” a word still used today to describe money
Poverty
Keeping It local. A marketplace currency.
Local Food
'"Local food", "local food movement" or the "Locavores" are a movement which aim to connect food producers and food consumers in the same geographic region; in order to develop more self-reliant and resilient food networks, improve local economies, or for health, environmental, community, or social impact in a particular place.[1] The term has also been extended to include not only geographic location of supplier and consumer but can also be "defined in terms of social and supply chain characteristics."[2] For example, local food initiatives often promote sustainable and organic farming practices, although these are not explicitly related to the geographic proximity of the producer and consumer.
Local food represents an alternative to the global food model, a model which often sees food travelling long distances before it reaches the consumer. A local food network involves relationships between food producers, distributors, retailers, and consumers in a particular place where they work together to increase food security and ensure economic, ecological and social sustainability of a community'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_food
'Perhaps the next time our eyes grow wide and our mouths begin to water at the mere mention of a new supermarket, we should take a moment to remember the forgotten, humble corner shops that paved the way for the supermarket but now lie abandoned in its wake.'
http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/yoursay/schools/10199849.Are_supermarkets_ruining_the_local_economy_/?ref=rss
by eating locally we are more inclined to eat organic which is not only for the planet but good for us. A local market currency would
SuperMarkets
The pros and the cons
Bulk transportation of goods is the most economical way of moving items. A single ship load of bananas is less expensive to move than using a dozen smaller ships. We see this all around us. Oil and gas comes to the UK in vast ships and is distributed in large road tankers and huge pipelines - and in the early 1900's London used to get milk brought all the way from Devon and Cornwall by trains belching out thick black coal smoke. Customers want products from around the world (how else do you get fresh fruit and vegetables in December? ) and food can't move all by itself
Shopping at supermarkets pollutes the environment and damages human health because the biggest single cause of global warming is vehicle pollution. The average item of food purchased from a supermarket travels over 1000 miles; by lorry/plane from the producer to the store and then by car from the store to the consumer. As well as causing severe environmental damage, the pollution caused by supermarket-generated traffic is a major contributor to rising levels of asthma and other respiratory diseases.
Supermarkets have to work with suppliers who are local as well as far away. The need to supply good quality products at low prices means that they can't do business with farmers who don't produce good quality products in large quantities. Their research shows that customers want good looking food, not apples covered in scabs and bruises, so they don't stock food that looks bad. In the modern world there are other ways for small farms to sell their produce, like farmers markets and farm shops.
Shopping at supermarkets is destroying British agriculture and ruining the countryside. 60-70% of all food now passes through four companies; Tesco, Sainsbury, Safeway and Asda. This control over the food chain allows supermarkets to determine the price they pay to farmers, with farmers forced to take that price due to there being no other buyer left in the market place.Big farmers are getting bigger to survive while small farmers are going bust, leading to farming monoculture and unemployment. So by shopping from bigger retailers to save money in turn we are destroy the farmers economy due to the pressures of them having to live up to there big buys. where as local market etc produce a more fair trade.
Supermarkets work only with suppliers who can provide good quality products in large quantities. Because supermarkets can only sell things that customers want, they listen very carefully to customers views. Supermarkets have used their power to make sure that animals farmed for their products have good, healthy lives. They joined in calls for Britain to have some of the best animal welfare laws in the world, and usually carry organic and 'farm fresh' product lines.
Shopping at supermarkets supports factory farming, poor animal welfare and the spread of disease. Due to public pressure, the UK now has some of the highest farm animal welfare standards in the world. Maintaining standards costs money, and this makes home grown produce like pigs, chickens and sheep more expensive to rear here than in countries with lower standards and lower costs. Supermarkets now source large amounts of the meat they sell from abroad. It is perfectly legal for them to disguise foreign products by using 'Union Jack' or 'Produce of the UK' stickers that indicate that the products have been processed/packed here. Processing and packing does not mean lived, reared and died !
Here the pros for me do not outlay the cons yes they make sure they are in slightly better welfare but it is still taking away from the local community. When we should be building our local community.
Supermarkets can bring huge benefits to local communities. Their restaurant areas prove good meeting places for shoppers, and their large car parks make shopping easier and more convenient. They often invest in the local areas as part of the agreement when they build a new shop. Typically, supermarkets provide local sports centres, parks, play areas and better roads.
Shopping at supermarkets damages local communities and undermines local economies
People only buy a set quantity of food, so if they buy it in a supermarket, they won't buy it in local shops as well. That puts village shops and high street stores out of business. Every supermarket that opens results in a net loss of 200-300 jobs, as a whole network of local shops and their suppliers is destroyed.
People only buy a set quantity of food, so if they buy it in a supermarket, they won't buy it in local shops as well. That puts village shops and high street stores out of business. Every supermarket that opens results in a net loss of 200-300 jobs, as a whole network of local shops and their suppliers is destroyed.
This is a very important point, the loss of jobs is not good for local communitys. A currency which encourages more market shopping could help prevent this. It would also be nice to have a currency which celebrate our english agriculture as the farmers work considerable hard. However these super stores do also create a large amount of jobs.
Supermarkets are owned by people who don't live locally, or even in the same country. The money you spend there does not go back into the local economy, whereas money spent in independent shops tends to stay in the local economy. Because the supermarket HQ and bosses live elsewhere, the money goes elsewhere, into the bank accounts of distant shareholders. Even the plastic bags are made en masse at central locations, sometimes in totally different countries.
'It’s not even the farmers’ fault that they need subsidies to survive — it’s the fault of Britain’s supermarkets, which fight for market share by keeping food prices artificially low. How do they manage that? They simply pass on the cost to the farmers. A litre of milk, for example, costs a farmer about 30p to produce, but the supermarkets pay him (it’s usually a him) an average of 23p. This is why the number of dairy farmers has halved in the past decade, from 20,000 to 10,000, and why 2,000 more are expected to go bust this year.'
http://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/02/how-brexit-would-affect-british-farmers/
http://leightremaine.com/powerful-benefits-keeping-money-local/
http://modernfarmer.com/2014/09/want-farmer/
http://life.gaiam.com/article/benefits-eating-what-s-season
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