Visually communicating a monetary value is what has been on my mind most these first few days of class. When faced with the challenge, I'd like to represent the different values without making it mandatory to have to explain with words. In essence it would be ideal to have anyone pick up the currency and be able to decipher the hierarchy themselves without knowing the foundations for the currency or knowing the specific culture it is designed for.<--- The food chain came to mind when I realized that a lot of my "bead-work experiments" were coming back looking like different animals such as shrimp, whales and snails. By integrating inspiration from an increasing hierarchy such as a specific food chain into my currency, would also help me narrow down details for my culture. For example: with the current food chain illustration, the culture would be an Island nation with readily available access to the sea as well as sand, which is commonly used to form glass, making glass a valuable and convenient object to form the currency out of.
After visiting back to my wing fetish and wanting a hierarchy of mythical birds, I started searching images for dragons and came across some very interesting information regarding dragons that also sparked some ideas in my brain.
"Dragons, Snakes, and Pearls are symbols for human DNA, fire representing soul sparks of light emanating from the flame of creation... symbolic of the dragon are: Guardian of the 'Flaming Pearl" symbol of spiritual perfection and powerful amulet of luck."
Text from: crystalinks.com/dragons.html
These images and "interesting facts" make me think that there might be something visually representable in "human DNA, fire, soul, light, "Flaming Pearl", spiritual perfection and amulet of luck." The words are oddly powerful to me and remind me of my "extremes" idea and how representing things such as fire and ice, and other polar opposites might be rewarding in the process of figuring out the visual look to each of my currency pieces.
So right now, researching more on food chain (and individual life cycles of animals), seeing how the animals influence my sketchbook... As well as extremes, and representing a hierarchy without words and not taking the easy way out of scale variation...
Nice research- I like that you are really trying to find your way to your final project- going back and forth between the torch and the research. I think the idea of the life cycles of animals has a lot of opportunities. Working with the extremes envokes an idea of folk lore or story telling. Whici is an idea that could lead you to your currency. Wrire the history of you civilization in a story.
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