HOUSE OF CARDS

©2011 Stephanie Cunningham

Wood, Bronze Rod, Plastic Cards, Salt Lick, Gold Foil, Counterfeit $100 Bill

12 x 12 x 12 inches



House of Cards is a reflection on the greed that collapsed the housing market. The house is constructed of “credit" cards” etched with slang for either “money” or “broke.” The cards are arranged in a tic-tac-toe pattern in which “broke” always wins. A $100 counterfeit bill is permanently mounted on a block of salt (an early form of currency) inside the house. The interior base is coated with gold foil in another reference to money. The counterfeit bill appears accessible tempting a greedy viewer to take it. However, the house is designed to be fragile—a bump or movement (such as reaching inside for the bill) will cause the house of cards to collapse.