Some time has passed since I introduced the idea of MAK DAO to you.
Thank you for still sticking with me! Here’s a quick recap what the MAK DAO is about.
The mission of MAK DAO is to discuss, collect and produce applied art in web3 and connect with the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna for inspiration and exchange.
This may sound a little abstract so I have thought about an explanation, where this idea is heading. The Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna is dedicated to design, architecture, applied arts and contemporary art.
However, art is basically produced to show an idea, how you feel about something, it is a dialogue or confrontation with aspects of life, and the topics are unlimited. For me there is a difference between art and design. Design follows a purpose, executing a function and adding utility to creation.
On the website of MAK the museum describes itself by the following words:
In a way that is virtually unparalleled by any other institution, the MAK – Museum of Applied Arts stands for the fruitful combination of the past with the future, something which can be clearly sensed and experienced when visiting its extensive collection, large exhibition halls, themed special exhibitions and discourse-centered program of events. Bringing together applied arts, design, architecture, and contemporary art is one of the museum’s core competencies.
To understand the purpose of MAK DAO, we first need to define what applied art means to us.
Art is … whatever you choose it to be. There are hundreds of definitions and quotes on what art is, I have just too much respect to pick one as an ultimate explanation. Alas, a museum is there to teach and create a certain standard for art.
What is applied art? For me it is a borderland between design and art, somewhere between dedicated function on the one side and an expression that needs no further explanation or justification. Applied art is the use of art to shape our environment, improve our living conditions, and infuse smart solutions into everyday necessities. It is about designing our lives and adding an extended purpose to artwork, sometimes through subtlety and sometimes through explicitness.
In applied art, we may discuss the potential of art when combined with craftsmanship and practical dedication. This includes exploring texture in fashion, experimenting with forms in furniture and product design and finding innovative approaches to using everyday tools. Applied art also encourages us to question established habits and rules.
At this point you might say: We still haven’t talked about what we will do. Why should I join?
Fair enough.
The Museum of Applied Arts sees itself as a blend of the past and future. From our perspective, Web3 appears to be a promising path towards a more expansive digital future.
In past few years, you have seen various trends which could be called digital pop culture. You have witnessed the dawn of NFT art and its exaggeration as an investment case. Still, a strong community of artists, creators and art lovers is holding on to it, constantly creating and evolving. And you are probably one of them!
Today your avatar in web3 is a statement. And before long, we will judge the digital architecture of 3D showrooms and galleries, which we access with our wallets. We will chose our skins to enter meetings, being as much used to it as gamers who already create and leverage their alter egos. Creation in web3 is a new wave of art, and wherever creation enters a purpose as in an avatar, in fashion, spacial design, you name it, we enter spheres which are shaped by applied art.
MAK DAO is a logical consequence of the physical museum, expanding into the digital space, taking advantage of the versatility it offers. The Museum of Applied Arts is offering inspiration, knowledge, standards - in short an approved base to start and work your way into exploring applied art in web3.
If you are interested in browsing web3 with open eyes, sharing your experiences and views and creating new work in digital applied art, architecture, design, the MAK DAO is the place to be.
Join us now and find out more in our first meetup in our discord channel!
Credits for pictures above:
1 - Helga Hurnaus, MAK, View of the Museum in Vienna, Austria
2 - Kristina Wissik, MAK, Exhibition Hard Soft
3 - process studio, Logo Pattern MAK DAO
