BOOK REVIEW: CURRENCY AND BELIEF BY JOHN NEWLING

Philip Mernick of London recently sent me a nice gift - a copy of Currency and Belief by John Newling. The conceptual artist recently spoke at the Royal Numismatic Society. His topic was "Between Sign and Symptom: the transformation of Value, Coin and Material in the works of John Newling".

Any book picturing Communion Tokens on the cover is all right by me. I enjoyed reading it at lunchtime last week. Numismatists won't find anything much new about their hobby, but might still find Newling's work of interest. Somewhat like money artist J.S.G. Boggs, Newling prompts viewers of his work to think about what we value, and ties together values and belief in secular life and religion through imagery and viewer interaction.

The short 96-page hardcover book illustrates and describes several of Newling's installations. Philip informs me that a second edition is on the way. I remember fondly my visits with Philip and his brother Harry in London - they really made this visitor feel at home, and it's nice to stay in touch. Many thanks for thinking of me!

Wayne Homren, Editor

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