On September 13, 2008, Sagmeister Inc. began the installation of 250,000 Eurocents on Waagdragerhof Square in Amsterdam. Over the course of eight days and with the help of more than 100 volunteers, the coins were sorted into four different shades, and carefully placed over this 300-square-meter area, according to a master plan. The coin mural spelled out the sentence, “Obsessions make my life worse and my work better.”

After completion, the coins were left free and unguarded for the public to interact with. Less than 20 hours after the grand opening, a local resident noticed a person bagging the coins and taking them away. Protective of the piece they had watched being created, they call the police. After stopping the “criminal,” the police—in an effort to “preserve the artwork”—swept up every remaining cent and carted them away.

The amount of planning and the method of installation with such a simple repetition of a module is incredible. The effect of the final piece and the 3-D quality is fantastic.