What We Love This Week, Volume IV

Published March 15, 2013
Updated September 1, 2017
Folded Money 3

Source: Design Boom

The Magnificent Seven

Folded Money 1

Source: Design Boom

You might think that it is only Ron Paul who views printed money as some absurd art form, but you’d be wrong. Meet French artist Philippe Petremant, whose series “The Magnificent Seven” transforms traditional currency into comical portraits so incredible that even those of us who don’t seek to return to the gold standard can’t help but love them. In so doing, Petremant converts printed paper into priceless art, and thus forces us to question how we determine value. To see more priceless printed paper, be sure to visit Design Boom.

Folded Money 2

Source: Design Boom

“I’m Not There”

In Franz Kafka’s classic The Metamorphosis, protagonist Gregor Samsa cries that “[he] cannot make you understand…what is happening inside [him],” and that he “cannot even explain it to himself.” But in Barcelona-based designer Pol Ubeda Hervas’ “I’m Not There” series, we come a little bit closer to giving those distressing feelings some kind of form. Whether we wake up as a giant insect or another year older, the words “Who am I?” are bound to escape our lips at some point. It is precisely that question that inspired Hervas to create this spectral series on fleeting identity. Said Hervas in an interview regarding his work, “I don’t recognize myself anymore. These photos express this feeling.”

Why keep the shoes? Hervas believes that regardless of our current mental state and disappearing sense of self, there still remains some semblance of our shared humanity. To experience more of this Kafka-esque take on reality, hit up The Roosevelts for a full gallery.

Simple Ideas That Are Borderline Genius

Paris Reflection Umbrella

Source: Dump a Day

No matter how coddled your existence, there is always going to be a handful of first-world grievances in “need” of fixing. Case in point: not being able to fully protect yourself from an afternoon deluge without walking into a tree, light post or small child. Or, say, having a dinner party for six and not knowing the right amount of al dente noodles to prepare for your ravenous guests. Or worse, purchasing a bag of chips and not being able to close it in a way that ensures its future, fresh-out-of-the-bag crispness. But for whatever material hazard that might threaten your privilege, the folks at Dump a Day have got you covered with their list of simple yet borderline-genius ideas.

Pasta Measurer

Source: Dump a Day

Chip Dispenser

Source: Dump a Day

author
All That's Interesting
author
A New York-based publisher established in 2010, All That's Interesting brings together subject-level experts in history, true crime, and science to share stories that illuminate our world.
editor
Savannah Cox
editor
Savannah Cox holds a Master's in International Affairs from The New School as well as a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield. Her work as a writer has also appeared on DNAinfo.