“Money is not merely a medium of exchange but also a medium of communication.”
~ Rukmini Dahanukar, Researcher and Author, 'Money Talks'
Once upon a time we exchanged stones, horses, bat teeth, parrot feathers, whale-bones, shells, deerskin, earthen pots, kettles, bows, armour, fish hooks, salt, rice, coconuts, cocoa beans, glass vases, silver, gold, coins and now, paper notes and change, plastic cards, alphanumeric characters on an electronic screen or simply just,
Money. It is impossible to imagine our world without it.
Money’s history dates back to the earliest written records of human activities, interactions and transactions.
Today, it is handled by billions around the world but is rarely noticed during its exchange. The elaborate, ornate and extravagant design tessellations juxtaposed with legends, luminaries and icons sharing the spotlight with recognised, celebrated and respected spaces and sites, indigenous and endangered flora and fauna or
simply just homegrown, local patterns and art.
All emblazoned on a canvas the mere size of a palm whilst communicating an entire nation’s
exceptional and exclusive history, culture, identity and spirit.
The seeds of this on-going research were sown in 2004. Money Talks saw fruition as a thesis presented at California State University, Fullerton as part of the MA Communications program.
Ever since Money Talks has focused on the graphic art, visual imagery and symbolism on banknotes and coins explored through an interdisciplinary approach covering Visual Communications and Mass-Media, History and Anthropology, Politics and Nationalism, Identity, Gender and Cultural studies
all amalgamated and analysed using Design and Branding curricula
presented at academic conferences, industry meets, museums and exhibition galleries.
Welcome to the other side. Do take note when 'Money Talks'
Decus et Tutamen
AN ORNAMENT(FORM) & A SAFEGUARD (FUNCTION)
ART
SECURITY
“A banknote is the most exchanged artwork in the world.”
~ Paul Martin Lester, Professor, Author and Photojournalist
'A picture speaks a 1,000 words'
Banknotes are artifacts that open a rare window to symbols, iconography, metaphors, and images. They reveal how a nation views itself and illustrates what it wants to project to the world and to its citizens as its shared collective identity. They are excellent examples of art with a purpose-design.
Every technological advance in printing and paper that came along has gradually been incorporated, primarily to combat counterfeits, but in the process, serendipitously, banknotes have evolved their own special aesthetic.
The canvas is small as compared to most graphic art forms,
but the uses to which it has been put are varied and imaginative.
The combination of images chosen to meet the practical objectives of indicating the issuing authority and denomination also reflect subjective ideas of aesthetic appeal and national identity. The results range from blatantly propagandist to carefully neutral, sometimes emphasizing either change or continuity.
Money can and does tell distinctive narrative stories. The evidence suggests that national currencies reinforce the expression of national identity in their imagery, in their provision of a sense of common destiny and common national fate, and in their reliance for their effectiveness on faith in the nation itself. Artifacts do not exist alone, isolated and unrelated to other aspects of a culture. That means we can use artifacts to discover interesting things about culture and we can use culture to help interpret artifacts.
Its time we listened when 'Money Talks'.
Microprinting of the letters "RBI" - Reserve Bank of India.
ndia, Rs 2000, 2016
Portrait window’ see-through hologram different views front & back.
EU, Euro 20, 2015
Florescent inks, contrasting colour guilloche geometric patterns.
Zimbabwe, $ 10, 1997
Hologram of value & doorway with rainbow, concentric circles.
EU, Euro 100, 2002
Colour shifting inks on bird's wings & 3D star foil image on ploymer. Australia, $ 5, 2016
Geometric overlapping patterns with micro-text and calligraphy.
Bhutan, Ngultrum 1, 2006
Omron anti-copying feature with vignette shading guilloche. Sweden, Kroner 100, 2001
“The world is full of obvious things which
nobody by any chance observes”
~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from "Sherlock Holmes"
Counterfeiting is as old as money itself. Materials and methods have constantly evolved to keep money safe. One of the pre-requisites of modern banknotes is trust built by its universal acceptability combined with its authenticity. Security features along with familiar images on banknotes assure us the same.
However, in our fast-paced, information-overloaded, highly economically motivated world they are mostly missed and go by unnoticed during exchange. It is only when a banknote is looked at and held up the obviousness of some of these features becomes clearly apparent. There are many more not visible to even the informed viewer.
A well designed banknote is one that combines artistic imagery (form) and watertight security (function) instilling trust with authenticity and integrity.
Various security features and their combinations are used on banknotes depending on the choices by issuing authorities. It must be noted that adding each feature adds to the costs involved in design and production. Eventually it does come down to the economics of printing money that determines the viabilities and combinations of the features.
Ace banknote designers manage to mix a perfect cocktail of the beauty (form) and the features (function)
so well blended in that it’s difficult to distinguish the two and will take the likes of
a detective like Sherlock Holmes to find and unearth them.
Dr. SACHCHIDANAND JOSHI
Member Secretary,
IGNCA
Many Congratulations to Rukmini as this exhibition is the reality of what at first seemed undoable and unimaginable given the timelines.
Mr. SHAKTIKANTA DAS
Governor,
Reserve Bank of India
Congratulations and happy to note your achievements in pursuing and presenting your research in a very niche area of currency notes.
Ms. MEENAKSHI LEKHI
Hon. MoS Culture & External Affairs, Govt. of India
Everyday I learn something new. Exposure to something like currency notes is very different and this perspective is very unique and new.
"There is always
strength in numbers"
~ Mark Shields,
Political Columnist and Advisor
Since banknotes have marginal intrinsic value it’s the number printed across its surface that determines its value of exchange. Performing this primarily economic role, the use of typefaces, colours and security techniques in the simple number make this observation interesting and much beyond its economic value !
"The chief function of colour should be to serve expression"
~ Henri Matisse, Painter and Printmaker
The entire spectrum of colours is showcased on banknotes thanks to the advancement of ink and print technologies. But colours play a greater and deeper role in the banknote design process. Progressive denominations would be better rendered in contrasting colours for easy recognition. Presently, special inks have also been curated to keep counterfeiters at bay !
For thematic classification click here. Move cursor on map for location presentations
And for chronology see timeline alongside
This research is interdisciplinary; making it challenging to categorise - thematically and exclusively. Effort has been made to include broad categories with keeping the main theme, subject and argument as focus within the research context. Move cursor on the map for location presentations. For thematic classification, click on "Conference Presentations" above. For chronological presentations see the timeline alongside and click for more.
"The more you see, the more you know
and the more you know, the more you see"
~ Aldous Huxley, Writer and Philosopher
Rukmini Dahanukar is an independent researcher and founder partner of her brand design & identity consultant firm, Nirmiti. (means creation in Sanskrit/ ancient Indian) She has presented & published at communication, cultural studies, history, politics and popular culture conferences in Greece, India, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Dahanukar’s research deals with the graphic designs and visual imagery on money; currency notes & coins; analyzed via a multi-disciplinary approach covering visual communications & media studies, history, politics & nationalism and identity & cultural studies. She has been one of the youngest keynote speakers at the European Cultural Conference organized by the University of Navarra, Pamplona in Spain in October 2007. She was also the only academic researcher to present at the prestigious HSP High Security Printing Asia in Colombo, Sri Lanka in December 2023.
In November 2022, she organised the conference “World Heritage on Banknotes-the next 50” at UNESCO, New Delhi and conceptualised and curated the first of its kind exhibition “Banking on World Heritage” at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi in July 2023 as part of India's presidency of the G20 Summit with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India. Her work was also featured in the Roots & Routes exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi as part of India's civilisational expressions and its interconnectedness with the rest of the world from September until December 2023. In October 2023 conceptualised, designed and curated the permanent Revenue Gallery at the Sonipath Museum in Haryana, India. Presently, she has conceptualised and curated a travelling exhibition for the Alliance Française Institutes in India; "Beyond Face Value - French banknote design from around the world."
She has her first Master’s degree in Marketing Management from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, University of Mumbai, India and her second, a Masters of Arts in Communications from California State University, Fullerton in the United States where she was the only student to have been honored with three prestigious awards in the same year; the Outstanding Graduate Student Award, the Phi Beta Delta’s recipient of the Best International Student and the Chair’s Special Award for Exceptional Service to the Department of Communications at California State University, Fullerton in May 2004. She also has to her credit an online certification course "Learning to Look at the Visual Arts" from the University of Oxford CE, in November 2018.
Rukmini is a long-distance runner having successfully completed over 24 marathons and half marathons around the world; including the Classic Athens Marathon and grueling ones like the Great Tibetan Half Marathon in Ladakh and the coveted Mt Everest Challenge Marathon on the India-Nepal border. She has also completed the Cotswold, Triathlon in 2009. She has to her credit an Advanced & Adventure PADI Deep Sea Diving Certification with Underwater Photography & Shipwreck diving specialisations under her belt. She loves sailing, has had a stint with the guitar and is a keen and avid travel photographer with extensive excursions around the world from Mexico, the United States, Europe and South-East Asia. Her lens has framed Mayan Ruins, Temples at Angkor Wat, Stupas in Sri Lanka, Monasteries in Bhutan, Ancient Stadiums in Delphi, Bull rings in Andalucia, the rising sun glistening the golden peak of the Himalayan Kanchenjunga, the unsetting midnight sun in Reykjavik, active lava flows in Hawaii and migrating whales amidst melting glaciers in Arctic Greenland.
Currently she is writing a book on the art, design and symbolism on banknotes .
She is based in Mumbai, India.
