AESTHETICS OF CHANGE

A cooperation between the University of Applied Arts Vienna and the MAK

In 1867 the School of Arts and Crafts was established at the Imperial Royal Austrian Museum of Art and Industry (today’s MAK) to enable Austrian arts and crafts to compete internationally. This school is the antecedent institution of today’s University of Applied Arts Vienna, which is now celebrating its 150th anniversary.

The exhibition AESTHETICS OF CHANGE: 150 Years of the University of Applied Arts Vienna in two parts casts a glance back onto 150 years of the University’s history, while at the same time daring to look into the future.

The Angewandte: 1867–2017
This time span is the topic of the first part of the jubilee exhibition in the MAK’s lower Exhibition Hall, curated by Patrick Werkner and Elisabeth Schmuttermeier. The objects on view are from the University’s own collections, supplemented by works from the MAK’s holdings. Associated with this are thousands of people in teaching and studies, among them “stars” from the history of art, design, and architecture, as well as relative unknown names.

From A to Z
With an encyclopedic arrangement of the topical points, the exhibition highlights the vicissitudes of the Angewandte’s history and the developments it begat and begets. Up-to-date videos to convey a sense of contemporary education, showcase student projects, and give glimpses into life at the Angewandte.

The Angewandte: 150 Plus 30
The second part of the jubilee exhibition in the MAK’s upper Exhibition Hall, curated by Peter Weibel and Gerald Bast, outlines theses for the future and advocates for a reorientation of education, art, and society. Three chapters present aggregated trends. The exhibition focuses on current and visionary research, in addition to contemporary artistic positions.

“Future is there, where we ourselves strive towards it”
Pursuing this idea leads to an interactive exhibition experience. The spotlight is on the new; old structures dissolve in the darkness. This combination of ruins and enchanted forest allows the search for the future to commence.

Artists

Curators 
Elisabeth Schmuttermeier, Curator, MAK Metal Collection and Wiener Werkstätte Archive
Patrick Werkner, Professor and Head of the Art Collection and Archive,  University of Applied Arts Vienna
Gerald Bast, President, University of Applied Arts Vienna
Peter Weibel, Professor (emer.), University of Applied Arts Vienna; Executive Director, ZKM | Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe

The exhibition will be accompanied by the brochure AESTHETICS OF CHANGE: 150 Years of the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Edited by Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, Gerald Bast, Elisabeth Schmuttermeier, Peter Weibel, Patrick Werkner. German/English, ca. 67 pages. Available at the MAK Ticket Desk and the MAK Design Shop.

The publication 150 Jahre Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien. Ästhetik der Veränderung, edited by Gerald Bast, Anja Seipenbusch-Hufschmied, and Patrick Werkner (German, 483 pages with numerous color illustrations and detailed documentation, published in the University of Applied Arts Vienna book series, edition Angewandte / Verlag De Gruyter, Vienna 2017) describes the history of the institution’s development from the Imperial Royal School of Arts and Crafts to today’s University of Applied Arts. This comprehensive presentation not only elucidates the broad range of today’s degree courses in architecture, design, and the fine arts but also considers their future perspectives.
Available at the MAK Design Shop online for € 38.90.

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special and (con)genial
A diverse program with discussion events and numerous tour formats accompanies the exhibition, especially also on Tuesday evenings!
 

Guided Tours

Guided Tour of the Exhibition
Every Sat 4 p.m. (1 h) and every Sun, 2 p.m. (1,5 h)

Special Thematic Tours on Tuesdays 
2.1., 16.1., 6.2., 13.2., 20.3., 3.4.2018, 7 p.m.

Curators in Conversation
Sat, 16.12.2017, 2 p.m.
Gerald Bast and Peter Weibel

Curator-Guided Tours 
Tue, 9.1.2018, 7 p.m.
with Patrick Werkner
Tue, 13.3.2018, 7 p.m.
with Elisabeth Schmuttermeier

Expert-Guided Tours 
Tue, 30.1.2018, 7 p.m.
with Heinz Adamek, former university director, University of Applied Arts Vienna
Tue, 27.2.2018, 7 p.m.
with Elisabeth Frottier, Director of the Costumes and Fashion Collection, University of Applied Arts Vienna
Tue, 27.3.2018, 7 p.m.
with Nikolaus Jantsch, Painting and Animated Film, University of Applied Arts Vienna

Dialogue Tour
Tue, 20.2.2018, 7 p.m.
with Gerald Bast, curator, and Janina Falkner, New Concepts for Learning, MAK