Declare Independence

Inspired by Bjork’s song, Declare Independence, this design features a portrait of the singer and song lyrics. This is my first note design to feature paint swirls, which gives it a Pop Art feel, taking the edge of the transgressive sentiment of the song. They’re not actual paint swirls, but Illustrator-generated patterns that come from my experiments with generative and randomized design…

The text reads:
DECLARE INDEPENDENCE
START YOUR OWN CURRENCY
MAKE YOUR OWN STAMP
PROTECT YOUR LANGUAGE
DAMN COLONISTS
IGNORE THEIR PATRONIZING
TEAR OFF THEIR BLINDFOLDS
OPEN THEIR EYES
– Bjork
I think it was very perceptive of Bjork to express currency as inherent to a peoples’ identity. Banknotes are a calling card for a country, and paper currencies have been known to fail because they didn’t represent a defined culture or region.
The two forces at play in the world_—_with regards to currency creation_—_are Globalism, on the one hand, and Localism on the other. Examples of Globalism would be global corporations, multiculturalism and supra-national entities, such as the United Nations and IMF. Examples of Localism would be the desire to secede, a return to previous agricultural methods, community gardens, and the rediscovery of local and national identity.
In general, people’s desires and wants (in the Western world) embody both Localism and Globalism. However, the balance is tipping. Globalism has been well marketed for the last 100 years or so. But Localism is emergent, and will become the dominant structure for the developed worlds’ identity in the near future. One aspect of this trend will surely be the increasing use of local, independent and alterative currencies…
I’ve also added my own microtext_—_minute text that can only be read by magnifying the note:
The text reads “HUMANS ARE MESSY / WE CANNOT BE CONTROLLED”. This is a reference to the unpredictable nature of humans expressing their freewill, and the strength in the human race’s diversity; our biological and cultural differences actually makes us more unpredictable and ‘anti-fragile’.
I hope to translate the note into the following languages (volunteers are welcome!….
Basque
Catalonian
Czech
French
Galician
Italian
Romanian
Russian
Spanish
Swedish

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