The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 24, June 17, 2007, Article 19

DREAM DOLLARS: BANKNOTES OF THE LOST COLONY OF NADIRIA

Found while looking for other things: Stephen Barnwell's "Dream Dollars".
New York artist Barnwell is the inventor of Nadiria - the lost colony
of Antarctica.

"The banknotes of this dreamed Antarctica, which may be better described
as a colony of American pioneers or members of a sect, feature many
peculiarities. One of them ... is the existence of four variations of
each banknote of a specific value. To be more precise, there are four
editions: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter."

"...  the value of these utopian-oneiric-fictional Antarctica-Atlantis
dollars does not illustrate an orderly succession, but one that is
equally irrational and mathematical-metaphysical. Ignoring the rigid
rules of socio-economic efficiency, the figures follow some "natural"
rules here, producing banknotes with values of 1, 4, 7 , 13, 28, 52,
91 and 365 dollars."

"Regarding the colony's dollars, the writer tells us that they were
used as a form of "social engineering". The natural numbers system 1,
4, 7, 13, 28, 52, 91, 365 automatically introduces a different form
of thinking, and the founder of the colony, Samuel Brundt, believed
that his numerology and banknotes would raise the level of consciousness
and knowledge. This money would have an influence over the power of
the colonists' subconscious and their dreams.

"Stephen Barnwell's invented story continues even during the 20th
century. He fantasizes that in 1901 an attempt to discover Nadiria
is lead by the International Geographic Society and succeeded in
tracing the lost remains of the utopian Antarctic colony. The
"International Society of Nadiria" is founded in Paris in 1925,
followed by the "Nadiria Historical Society" in USA in 1932. Their
purpose is to recover and spread the knowledge acquired by the Nadirians.
In 1953 the oneiric dollars - or, to be more precise, naïve and
artisan reproductions of the originals- are surfacing on the night
club scene of Greenwich Village in New York. Starting with 1967 they
become popular within the hippie culture, being associated with its
drug, music and poetry culture."

To read the complete article, see: Full Story

Rag & Bone Bindery blog with images of Dream Dollars: Full Story

To visit Stephen Barnwell's "Dream Dollars" web site, see: dream-dollars.com

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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