What A €1Billion Euro House Looks Like
You know the saying, put your money into bricks and mortar and you’ll see a long term return, but it seems one Irish artist has taken that advice literally. As an artistic statement about the bankrupt Irish economy, Artist Frank Buckley has built a house made from over 1 billion euros of shredded decommissioned notes.
Frank Buckley's Billion euro house is made entirely from €50,000 bricks of shredded decommissioned notes
The billion Euro house sits in the lobby of the Glass House in Dublin, an empty office building in the city centre. The money, which comes in pulped bricks of shredded decommissioned notes, was loaned to the artist by the Mint.
The idea came to Mr Buckley while he was waiting for a friend outside the building and the owners of the Office block were immediately keen on the idea. He had been given a block of the shredded notes to use as confetti at his wedding, which acted as inspiration. The unemployed artist simply asked the Mint for a lorry load more and while there was almost as much paperwork involved; the Mint were more than happy to assist.
The installation has been opened to the public with the hope of giving people the chance to reflect on the boom and bust housing market that led to the economic collapse of one of Europe’s fastest growing countries. The shredded euros were used to plaster the walls and carpet the floor, with €50,000 cash bricks used for the exterior. Mr Buckley lives in the house during the week, returning to live in the shed in his family’s garden at the weekend.