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Posted by RL Tillman on September 30th, 2008 | Speaking of counterfeiting, printing money, and counterfeit prints about money, it’s been a while since I’ve heard any news about the legal troubles of J.S.G. Boggs. After years of dodging dubious counterfeiting claims in several countries, in early 2007 Boggs (a.k.a. Steve Litzner) was laid low by drug possession charges.
Lawrence Weschler’s 2000 book about Boggs covers his British trial, which revolved around the slippery question of whether Boggs’ work presented a “reproduction” of currency. What a sticky wicket! The jury agreed that Boggs’ banknotes were not reproductions, but “original” works of art. If a jury was asked to determine the originality of the artist’s drawings, and the same jury was asked to determine the originality of his prints, I can imagine a different verdict.
Boggs’ prints are less acclaimed than his drawings, and rightly so. I find Boggs’ hand-drawn bills to be inherently more interesting than his prints. The above edition for the Florida United Numismatists has its charms. But the exchange of a hand-drawn dollar for a cup of coffee is a far more elegant conceptual gesture than the downloadable Boggs Fun Buck, which comes with labyrinthine instructions:
1. Download the above Boggs’ Bill.
2. Print 3 at the best quality you can.
3. Find Boggs using the picture and schedule below.
4. Co-sign each bill with Boggs
One is for you to keep and frame, or redeem for its face value.
One is for The Archives of JSG Boggs.
One is for Boggs.
It is not necessary for you to find Boggs. You may, if you wish, just sign it and frame it. However, its actual value will be entirely dependent on how good a job you do in printing it.
In a moment of precognition, Boggs once joked “Maybe I should try to buy some drugs with a drawing. You know, purely as a transaction… Nah…I’m in enough trouble already.”
For more information, here’s a comprehensive Lost At Sea article, a Times review of Boggs documentary Money Man, and a call for action regarding Boggs’ arrest.
Posted by RL Tillman on September 27th, 2008 | 
The debates are underway, so you should probably pick up these dandy posters from Yee-Haw Industries before the election is old news. Click the image for a more detailed view, if you dare!
Posted by RL Tillman on September 27th, 2008 | 
Etsy user lilimandrill is selling this hand-carved Barack Obama stamp for just $8.
Posted by Jason Urban on September 27th, 2008 | From the wikipedia entry on current Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke:
In 2002, when the word “deflation” began appearing in the business news, Bernanke gave a speech about deflation. In that speech, he mentioned that the government in a fiat money system owns the physical means of creating money. Control of the means of production for money implies that the government can always avoid deflation by simply issuing more money. (He referred to a statement made by Milton Friedman about using a “helicopter drop” of money into the economy to fight deflation.) Bernanke’s critics have since referred to him as “Helicopter Ben” or to his “helicopter printing press”.
Hmmm… a “helicopter printing press”? With a creative visionary like that at the helm, I can’t imagine why our economy is having so much trouble. Think Airwolf made by Takach.
All joking aside, it’s hard to talk about printing money without thinking of Chris Burden’s 1977 piece, “Diecimila.” In Kathan Brown’s 1996 book Ink, Paper, Metal, Wood: Painters and Sculptors at Crown Point Press, Brown recounts the details of the project which involved printing a double-sided (some say it’s the first double-sided fine art print) facsimile of an Italian 10,000 lira note. I read the book quite a few years ago and don’t have a copy myself, but if I remember correctly the piece caused quite a stir (not to mention a visit from the Italian police). Maybe Burden can get some sort of special governmental appointment out of this crisis?
Posted by Kevin ONeill on September 27th, 2008 | 
It’s going to take a lot more than skill for Cru Jones to conquer the toughest BMX challenge in the world. It’s going to take a miracle.
Skill clearly isn’t the issue in 1986’s BMX classic Rad (one of my favorites) as Cru proves himself to be a great rider early on in the film. So what’s this miracle?
Unable to qualify for Helltrack because he has no sponsor and the corporate BMX machine is doing all that they can to prevent him from racing, Cru’s little sister initiates the brilliant idea of starting their own team through the simple act of printing their own shirts. Of course there are many more obstacles to follow, but this printmaking scene (starts about 2 mins. into the clip) is a true turning point in the film.
This is kind of a followup to a previous Printeresting post regarding the negative image of printmakers in film. In Rad, D.I.Y. printmaking is the hero and it opens a whole new world of possibility for Cru Jones.
Posted by RL Tillman on September 25th, 2008 | I’m no expert on the complex financial matters in the headlines. However, as a citizen and as a printmaker I’m concerned about the government’s proposed solution to the crisis on Wall Street.
Because our currency is not backed by any commodity, the government already circulates millions of intaglio prints with no inherent value. We all know that governments cannot simply print more money without running the risk of currency devaluation. But what about the risk of intaglio devaluation? Have they even considered this? Call your Congressman! Call Ron Paul! Somebody, think of the printmakers!!
*ahem*
…Unlike some people, you’re not allowed to print your own money. But the good folks at Parker Bros. allow you to download sheets of these beauties:
 1 person likes this post.
Posted by Jason Urban on September 24th, 2008 | 
We’ve all cringed at confusing misuse of print terminology but this takes it to whole new level! Apparently a resourceful Japanese entrepreneur is selling a ”limited edition” of Pikachus. Translated from the Yahoo! Japan auction site…
Great for those who are lacking in good conversations with family, who want solace if living alone, who need a new hobby, who love cute and trendy things, or who are looking for a present for a girlfriend or a child. Limited edition! Limited to only 20! First come first serve!
For fans of fake photography and image hoaxes, this is like a Cottingley Fairies for the Twenty-first Century. Well, with the main difference being that one hundred years ago people actually believed that photography=truth. Now Photography only equals Photoshop.
Posted by RL Tillman on September 23rd, 2008 | 
Anna van Suchtelen’s Watershawl is “is a tribute to the Dutch and his companionship with water, and in particular the historical highlight of the Holland Waterline.” First constructed in the seventeenth century, the Waterline is a series of water-control measures that allowed for the purposeful flooding of low-lying areas as a defense against enemy invaders. The Watershawl, silk printed with a photograph of water, was conceived by the artist as a similar “protection from an enemy offense and from the elements…a shawl as secret weapon.”
More fine work at the artist’s website, including additional images and description of the following installation, Tongentaal.
Posted by dianabaumbach on September 20th, 2008 | Although furniture and prints are seemingly unrelated, a number of furniture companies have introduced pieces that are very process oriented. Beyond assembly, they require active owner participation in order to be built. Each of the examples below also utilizes flat packing. There are cost and space benefits to being able to flat pack – but I’m even more interested in the idea of building something functional and dimensional out of smaller flat units.
MIO (http://www.mioculture.com/) has a number of product lines that are process oriented. Their Nomad Architecture System provides modular shapes which allow the builder to make critical decisions about design and color placement. It reminds me of educational building toys that I played with as a child.
They also make an Oragami Table. This image includes a view of the metal pre-bending – an interesting form in and of itself. The pieces intersect to form a piece that’s fragmented and geometric.
Similar to MIO’s Oragami Table is Blu Dot’s Real Good Chair collection (http://www.bludot.com) . This video, produced by Blu Dot, illustrates the process of building the chair (thanks to Mr. Squirrel). I’m especially fond of the cardboard “angle guide.” I love the super low tech quality of this template.
Posted by Jason Urban on September 18th, 2008 |
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