Title: Open Thread: Wien
Year: 2013
Medium: custom printed silk
Website: open-thread.org

open thread wien aimed at developing a generative, “open design” fashion collection in Vienna which is based on data obtained in Vienna and using the Wiener Werkstätte as an aesthetic point of departure in the inspiration of the collection. This project was executed as a collaborative between Margarita Benitez (fashion design) and Markus Vogl (graphic design) and took place at Museumsquartier Wien during May and June 2013.

The Wiener Werkstätte was established in 1903 as a production community of progressive artists and designers. The collective was committed to designing art that would be accessible to everyone which is also true for the ideology behind open design.

The research traced the Viennese roots of the art movement within some of the amazing archives located in Vienna, including the incredible collection of the “Universität für angewandte Kunst.” Please see some of the blog entries for images of these wonderful archives.

The theme of this particular collection is open thread and has a similar principal than the Wiener Werkstätte: Better to work 10 days on one product than to manufacture 10 products in one day. The collection’s textile prints have been created from images mined in Vienna and have been manipulated through generative code. open thread stands for the collection being “open” meaning the patterns are available for free under a creative commons license (please check the license section at open-thread.org for this.)

The design of the garments and the patterns have been created during the artist residence and directly react to the findings of the research.