ADMISSION€ 15 / € 12 reduced / Free Admission for children and teens under 19 / MoreDear friends of the MAK,Easter is only a few days away, but this year – in Austria and many other parts of the world – it will be very different. We are in the middle of one of the most testing crises since the Second World War and still do not know when we can return to our pre-crisis lifestyles and routines. But when that time comes: Can and should we carry on with our previous ways, as if we had learned nothing from COVID-19?The MAK is a future lab that translates a visionary mindset into applied approaches, and as such it collaborates with designers, artists, and architects to conceive ideas for the betterment of the world. This lies at the core of the VIENNA BIENNALE FOR CHANGE, which the MAK initiated, but is also a driving factor behind current projects such as our new MAK DESIGN LAB. For those of you who have not yet discovered the MAK LAB APP developed in this context, we warmly recommend taking a look, especially now (click here).Of course, we are not naïve. We do not subscribe to the erroneous notion that the world will automatically emerge from this crisis enlightened, nor that all the ills and misguided developments of the last seven decades will be promptly alleviated and corrected. But we should be honest with ourselves and each other and ask the right questions in order to learn from the corona crisis. Many of us were caught in a downwards spiral of BIGGER, FASTER, and CHEAPER, which diminishes our quality of life rather than enhance it. What we truly need is LESS – but BETTER, CLOSER, and thus MORE SUSTAINABLE! We need to REINVENT THE FUTURE.Corona can teach us many things. A first lesson is that we must strengthen the endurance and resilience (to use the technical term) of our society in all regions of the world. But this is merely the beginning, for the mega-challenges caused by mankind – notably the ever more pressing issue of climate change, the rapid extinction of species, and the overexploitation of the planet with all their negative social effects – have not vanished into thin air. On the contrary, they are as urgent as ever und must be addressed at once. Each and every one of us has a responsibility to act, and we cannot expect change to come (solely) from the top. We currently have time to reflect on what kind of life we truly want to lead after the crisis and how we can help shape the coming decades as literate, proactive humans. We all are designers of the future – let us embrace this opportunity!A second lesson learned from the pandemic: Global present-day civilization is much more fragile than we had thought; a malevolent virus can be enough to turn it upside down. This should help us realize that we are subject to a similar fragility when it comes to ecology, and that by recklessly exploiting the planet we will ultimately harm ourselves most of all. The planet will keep spinning with or without us (albeit much changed), but the way we handle the mega-challenges mentioned above will define the conditions under which human civilization on planet Earth will remain possible at all.  PLANET CARE is thus in our own interest, for the measures we deploy within the next ten to twenty years will be decisive for the quality of life on our home planet. That is why we all have a responsibility to contribute actively to a desirable future. Four scientifically developed strategies (which also play a key role in the MAK’s programs) can serve as a compass towards this goal:GET LEAN AND STREAMLINE, by which we mean have fewer possessions, share more often, simplify, and optimize for the benefit of the environmentDECOMMERCIALIZE by reevaluating forgotten capabilities (such as cooking, repairing, and craftsmanship), extended use of products und waste prevention, as well as collectively taking care of common goods (so-called “commoning”)DECELERATE by living in slower and more focused ways (e.g. “slow food” and “slow travel”)REGIONALIZE, meaning strengthen regional production and logistics and rediscover the unique appeal of local and regional qualitiesThese and other approaches provide a sustainable framework for tomorrow and also promise exciting new opportunities for the economy, as well as meaningful jobs after the corona crisis. Let us work towards them together!We wish you a wonderful Easter full of hope and encouragement in these trying times. Stay safe and be considerate of others!With caring thoughts and warm regards,Christoph Thun-Hohenstein and Teresa MarchesaniVienna, April 2020
Dear friends of the MAK,
Easter is only a few days away, but this year – in Austria and many other parts of the world – it will be very different. We are in the middle of one of the most testing crises since the Second World War and still do not know when we can return to our pre-crisis lifestyles and routines. But when that time comes: Can and should we carry on with our previous ways, as if we had learned nothing from COVID-19?
The MAK is a future lab that translates a visionary mindset into applied approaches, and as such it collaborates with designers, artists, and architects to conceive ideas for the betterment of the world. This lies at the core of the VIENNA BIENNALE FOR CHANGE, which the MAK initiated, but is also a driving factor behind current projects such as our new MAK DESIGN LAB. For those of you who have not yet discovered the MAK LAB APP developed in this context, we warmly recommend taking a look, especially now (click here).
Of course, we are not naïve. We do not subscribe to the erroneous notion that the world will automatically emerge from this crisis enlightened, nor that all the ills and misguided developments of the last seven decades will be promptly alleviated and corrected. But we should be honest with ourselves and each other and ask the right questions in order to learn from the corona crisis. Many of us were caught in a downwards spiral of BIGGER, FASTER, and CHEAPER, which diminishes our quality of life rather than enhance it. What we truly need is LESS – but BETTER, CLOSER, and thus MORE SUSTAINABLE! We need to REINVENT THE FUTURE.
Corona can teach us many things. A first lesson is that we must strengthen the endurance and resilience (to use the technical term) of our society in all regions of the world. But this is merely the beginning, for the mega-challenges caused by mankind – notably the ever more pressing issue of climate change, the rapid extinction of species, and the overexploitation of the planet with all their negative social effects – have not vanished into thin air. On the contrary, they are as urgent as ever und must be addressed at once. Each and every one of us has a responsibility to act, and we cannot expect change to come (solely) from the top. We currently have time to reflect on what kind of life we truly want to lead after the crisis and how we can help shape the coming decades as literate, proactive humans. We all are designers of the future – let us embrace this opportunity!
A second lesson learned from the pandemic: Global present-day civilization is much more fragile than we had thought; a malevolent virus can be enough to turn it upside down. This should help us realize that we are subject to a similar fragility when it comes to ecology, and that by recklessly exploiting the planet we will ultimately harm ourselves most of all. The planet will keep spinning with or without us (albeit much changed), but the way we handle the mega-challenges mentioned above will define the conditions under which human civilization on planet Earth will remain possible at all. PLANET CARE is thus in our own interest, for the measures we deploy within the next ten to twenty years will be decisive for the quality of life on our home planet. That is why we all have a responsibility to contribute actively to a desirable future. Four scientifically developed strategies (which also play a key role in the MAK’s programs) can serve as a compass towards this goal:
These and other approaches provide a sustainable framework for tomorrow and also promise exciting new opportunities for the economy, as well as meaningful jobs after the corona crisis. Let us work towards them together!
We wish you a wonderful Easter full of hope and encouragement in these trying times. Stay safe and be considerate of others!
With caring thoughts and warm regards,
Christoph Thun-Hohenstein and Teresa Marchesani
Vienna, April 2020
Easter is only a few days away, but this year – in Austria and many other parts of the world – it will be very different. We are in the middle of one of the most testing crises since the Second World War and still do not know when we can return to our pre-crisis lifestyles and routines. But when that time comes: Can and should we carry on with our previous ways, as if we had learned nothing from COVID-19?
The MAK is a future lab that translates a visionary mindset into applied approaches, and as such it collaborates with designers, artists, and architects to conceive ideas for the betterment of the world. This lies at the core of the VIENNA BIENNALE FOR CHANGE, which the MAK initiated, but is also a driving factor behind current projects such as our new MAK DESIGN LAB. For those of you who have not yet discovered the MAK LAB APP developed in this context, we warmly recommend taking a look, especially now (click here).
Of course, we are not naïve. We do not subscribe to the erroneous notion that the world will automatically emerge from this crisis enlightened, nor that all the ills and misguided developments of the last seven decades will be promptly alleviated and corrected. But we should be honest with ourselves and each other and ask the right questions in order to learn from the corona crisis. Many of us were caught in a downwards spiral of BIGGER, FASTER, and CHEAPER, which diminishes our quality of life rather than enhance it. What we truly need is LESS – but BETTER, CLOSER, and thus MORE SUSTAINABLE! We need to REINVENT THE FUTURE.
Corona can teach us many things. A first lesson is that we must strengthen the endurance and resilience (to use the technical term) of our society in all regions of the world. But this is merely the beginning, for the mega-challenges caused by mankind – notably the ever more pressing issue of climate change, the rapid extinction of species, and the overexploitation of the planet with all their negative social effects – have not vanished into thin air. On the contrary, they are as urgent as ever und must be addressed at once. Each and every one of us has a responsibility to act, and we cannot expect change to come (solely) from the top. We currently have time to reflect on what kind of life we truly want to lead after the crisis and how we can help shape the coming decades as literate, proactive humans. We all are designers of the future – let us embrace this opportunity!
A second lesson learned from the pandemic: Global present-day civilization is much more fragile than we had thought; a malevolent virus can be enough to turn it upside down. This should help us realize that we are subject to a similar fragility when it comes to ecology, and that by recklessly exploiting the planet we will ultimately harm ourselves most of all. The planet will keep spinning with or without us (albeit much changed), but the way we handle the mega-challenges mentioned above will define the conditions under which human civilization on planet Earth will remain possible at all. PLANET CARE is thus in our own interest, for the measures we deploy within the next ten to twenty years will be decisive for the quality of life on our home planet. That is why we all have a responsibility to contribute actively to a desirable future. Four scientifically developed strategies (which also play a key role in the MAK’s programs) can serve as a compass towards this goal:
- GET LEAN AND STREAMLINE, by which we mean have fewer possessions, share more often, simplify, and optimize for the benefit of the environment
- DECOMMERCIALIZE by reevaluating forgotten capabilities (such as cooking, repairing, and craftsmanship), extended use of products und waste prevention, as well as collectively taking care of common goods (so-called “commoning”)
- DECELERATE by living in slower and more focused ways (e.g. “slow food” and “slow travel”)
- REGIONALIZE, meaning strengthen regional production and logistics and rediscover the unique appeal of local and regional qualities
These and other approaches provide a sustainable framework for tomorrow and also promise exciting new opportunities for the economy, as well as meaningful jobs after the corona crisis. Let us work towards them together!
We wish you a wonderful Easter full of hope and encouragement in these trying times. Stay safe and be considerate of others!
With caring thoughts and warm regards,
Christoph Thun-Hohenstein and Teresa Marchesani
Vienna, April 2020