Our Story - The Money Flame

The Money Flame Money Collage in Situ
Jonathan Harris, The Money Flame, 2016. Currency Collage on Board. 42cm by 42cm. Remnants and details of £230 used on rear. Shown in Frame in situ.

The Money Flame consists of £230 in sterling, specifically two series F £50 notes (AK20 8585066, AK20 8585067), three series F £20 notes (JK46 954624, JK46 954625, JK46 954626), four series E £10 notes (LJ09 378862, LJ09 378863, LJ09 378864, LJ09378865), and six series E £5 notes (LE63 342615, LE63 342496, LE63 342497, LE63 342498, LE63 342499, LE63 342500). Scraps of unused notes remain affixed to the back of the board. The board itself measures 42 cm by 42 cm, while the flame motif has a diameter of 23 cm.

Please see Our Mythos - The Money Flame to learn about the magical actions surrounding the creation of The Money Flame collage. This section concerns itself with the more mundane story of how the Flame Symbol itself was created.

In early 2015 Revd Jonathan (then just plain Jonathan) wanted to find a symbol which could represent money burning. Unsatisfied with what he was able to create himself, Jonathan put the task out to tender on a online marketplace for freelance designers and artists. Here's the original brief. Dozens of ideas were sent in. And of course we got some 'why not give it to charity' pushback too! One designer commented: 

A very interesting brief, but why not put the money your burning to good use and purchase something for the needed? Burning it seems to solve nothing, yes maybe money has a hold on us but that ultimately depends on your outlook on life, and whether you work to live or live to work, burning your efforts away seems in a sense, selfish. Sorry, I'm struggling with the general outlook of your brief, and felt compelled to comment.

In the end two designs stood out. Jonathan went back and forth with each of the designers - Kitchenfoil and DADesigns, honing the image until a logo very much like the one we have today was created. 

DADesigns first submission
DADesigns original submission, 4th June 2015
DADesigns final submission
DADesigns original submission, 17th June 2015
Kitchenfoil first submission
Kitchenfoil original submission, 18th June 2015
Kitchenfoil final submission
Kitchenfoil final submission, 23th June 2015

 

Kitchenfoil's flame logo with the four square currency symbol motifs was used on the cover of the original 23 copies of The Money Burner's Manual handed out at the Cube Cinema Burn on 22nd November 2015.

The flame logo has undergone changes and development since 2015 and will continue to evolve. The currency symbols logos are no longer used.