The Faculty of Belief

Ink on unprimed canvas 2008-2009

Dimensions Variable

(buildings 60 inches wide x 75 inches tall, folded 10 – 30 inches wide x 60 inches tall)


I’ve often been fascinated by conspiracy theories and the people that believe in them.

In taking on the investigation of the 9/11 conspiracy theories I decided to lighten the mood in their physicality and present the story in a set of folded up dollar bills. Long an internet sensation, the folded bills are only part of the story. In taking on hat subject I decided to address it in a disarming manner, by folding up dollar bills and drawing them in an array of colors.

Each bill is the actual proportions then folded down. Using a larger scale and color inks I force the viewer to reengage the familiar. This is further reinforced with the absence of the color green. A lot of planning goes into each bill. The process begins by each bill is meticulously folded, glued into place, then mounted on top of a custom stretched canvas. Due to the unproven nature of the conspiracy theory itself. It has a few rough edges that still need to be worked out. Each image takes some reading into, some faith on the part of the viewer. Similarly, when confronting the evidence of the conspiracy, faith and openness are required. Let’s reopen a case that was tried in the media.

The Five dollar bill portraying a perfect and untouched Twin Towers in the early morning hours of September 11th.

The Ten dollar bill showing the damaged Twin Towers after the attack.

The Fifty showing the Twin Towers coming down.

The One hundred showing the smoldering pile of rubble after the Twin Towers had fallen.

The Five sided building just above the fold of the Five dollar bill represents the Pentagon before being attacked.

The Twenty dollar bill shows a low lying building on fire which represents the Pentagon in flames.

The Ten folded differently shows the World Trade Center 7 building on fire. This is a very important piece as it is the cornerstone of many September 11th conspiracy theories.

The Fifty dollar bill shows a Capital building untouched. Another target not hit?

Osama Bin Laden, one of the well-known faces of the 9/11 attacks.

Muhammad Atta piloted one of the planes that hit the World Trade Center Towers.

Hami Hanjour was one of the hijackers whose plane crashed into the Pentagon.

Muhammad Atef was one of the masterminds that planned the 9/11 attacks.

United and American were the airlines the hijackers flew with.


Here are a few questions.

14 of the 19 hijackers were on the terrorist watch list. Why did all of the hijackers buy tickets using their real names? Hani Hanjour, who had been on the terrorist watch list for over 3 years, varied his name five different ways (including ‘Hami’) when living in the United States. When it came time to buy a plane ticket though, why did he use his real name?

Were Osama Bin Laden and Muhammed Atef two of the supposed masterminds behind the 9/11 attacks? Or was something else going on? Let’s take a look at World Trade Center 7. The terrorists targeted the Pentagon (which they dubbed “The Faculty of Fine Arts”), the Twin Towers (“The Faculty of Town Planning”) and the Capital (“The Faculty of Law”). WTC 7 was never a target. Why did the BBC report live that WTC 7 had collapsed with the building still standing in the background? The WTC 7 building collapsed 23 minutes later. The reporter’s live connection mysteriously failed 5 minutes before the collapse.

Larry Silverstein had acquired the lease of the World Trade Centers in the spring of 2001. Why did he rework the insurance policy the summer before the attacks, making sure it was completely covered for acts of terrorism? He had originally invested 15 million in the property. His insurance claim rewarded him 7 billion.

World Trade Center 1, 2 and 7 reportedly came down as a result of office fires and jet impact. There were pools of molten iron at the base of the debris of the towers. Steel is melted creating molten iron or molten steel at 3000 degrees. The office fires and jet fuel can only burn between 1400 and 1600 degrees. Why are there thermite particles in all of the dust throughout lower Manhattan? Thermite is a high tech incendiary that is used to cut through steel like a hot knife through butter. Nano-thermite (one thousand times smaller than a human hair), like what was found, is only produced by very sophisticated defense department laboratories. How did this end up in the dust that was caked all over lower Manhattan?

Why wasn’t one seat cushion, piece of the engine or vertical stabilizer was recovered from the Pentagon? CNN reported live that it didn’t look like a plane had crashed there at all. The official explanation is the jet fuel vaporized the entire plane. The only damage to the outer wall of the Pentagon, before one of the walls collapsed due to fire, was a hole 16 ft wide. Why is there no damage when two engines 9 ft x 12 ft and weighing 6 tons hit the Pentagon at over 500 mph? Why do the five frames of footage we have not show a plane crashing into the Pentagon?

So what really happened? We may never know. The most important thing is to start a dialogue. To keep seeking the truth. To keep asking questions.

On the seemingly implausible chance any of this is true, what does it mean? How does it change my life? True or not I must believe in goodness, love and hope. I must believe that God is good.

Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. – Albert Einstein



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