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Luna Maurer and Roel Wouters

Moniker was the interactive design studio by Luna Maurer & Roel Wouters. They founded it in 2012 together with Jonathan Puckey who left in 2016. In 2023 Luna and Roel stopped the digital design studio and decided to continue their practice independently. They will keep collaborating as an artist duo but also act as separate makers.

To gain insights into their perspective on technology, you can explore their latest statement, Designing Friction.

Contact us mail@designingfriction.com

Luna Maurer mail@lunamaurer.com
Roel Wouters mail@roelwouters.com

Instagram ➝ instagram/maurerwouters
Vimeo ➝ vimeo.com/studiomoniker

The studio worked on commissioned design projects while also investing in projects of an autonomous and experimental nature. They worked with a variety of media for a wide spectrum of clients, from cultural institutions to commercial enterprises. The projects explore the social consequences of technology, or how we use technology and how it affects our daily lives. This has resulted in international recognition and award-winning projects. Moniker actively involved the public in their projects, fostering works that unfolded and flourished like plants, revealing their internal organizational mechanisms. The studio specialized in interactive, print, video, physical installation, and performance work.

For a comprehensive overview of their practise, It's Nice That features an in-depth look at their work.

Tweede Leeghwaterstraat 7m
1018 RA Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Selection of Clients

  • Google LLC
  • Apple Inc.
  • Mozilla Foundation
  • Haus der Kulturen der Welt
  • Yorkshire Sculpture Park
  • Galileo Reference Center
  • Het Nieuwe Instituut
  • The Bass, Miami
  • The State Architect
  • Nederlandse Publiek Omroep
  • Beyeler Foundation
  • Walker Art Center
  • Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
  • Sandberg Institute
  • The One Minutes
  • Van Abbemuseum
  • Unmade
  • VPRO
  • Google Data Arts Team
  • Google Arts & Culture
  • Google Brand Studio
  • Unity 3D
  • Nineties Productions

Lectures

  • 2023, Dec 11th
    Performance lecture, Moonshot, Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam NL
  • 2023, Nov 10th
    Performance lecture, IDFA DocLab opening night, Amsterdam, NL
  • 2023, Sep 23rd
    Panel Time will Tell, NFF conference, Rotterdam, NL
  • 2023, Sep 14th
    Brave New World Conference, how future technology will impact human life, Leiden, NL
  • 2023, Aug 28th
    Mindpark Conference, Shenzhen, CN
  • 2023, Jun 23rd
    Lecture Man vs Machine, Paleis Talks, Graphic Matters, Breda, NL
  • 2023, Jan 25th
    Elisava Masters' Talks, Barcelona, ES
  • 2023, Jan 13th
    Symposium The Tools We Use, Arnhem, NL
  • 2022, Nov 4th
    MA Programme in Art and Media, Aalto University, FI
  • 2022, Jun 23rd
    Lecture Bump Festival, Kortrijk, BE
  • 2022, Apr 6th
    Twitch stream event: Technology, Identity, and Power, M+ Museum, HK
  • 2022, Mar 29th
    Workshop & panel for New World, hosted by Today at Apple & It’s Nice That
  • 2022, Mar 10th
    Google ViSD summit (Google’s Visual Design Conference)
  • 2022, Feb 11th
    Artist talk, Touch for Luck, M+ Museum, HK
  • 2021, Apr 29th
    SoPoMa & Premaster Sint-Lucas Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Antwerpen, BE
  • 2021, Mar 22nd
    Inspirational lecture, Digitale Burg, Annette von Droste zu Hülshoff-Stiftung, DE
  • 2021, Mar 17th
    Online inspirational lecture, High Intensity Camp Ignore Gravity, DE
  • 2020, Dec 14th
    Online lecture, Media & Culture Fast Forward festival, BE
  • 2020, Nov 6th
    KIKK festival, Namour, BE
  • 2020, Jun 17th
    Live stream, Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin
  • 2020, Jun 10th
    Live stream, Hochschule für Bildende Kunst Hamburg, DE
  • 2020, Jun 8th
    Live stream, Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach, DE
  • 2020, May 18th
    Live stream, Hochschule Luzern, CH
  • 2020, Jan 20th
    Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe, DE
  • 2019, Nov 22nd
    IDFA DocLab, NL
  • 2019, Nov 5th
    ADCN Club for boundaries, NL
  • 2019, Oct 17th
    Scholastika Prague, CZ
  • 2019, Oct 1st
    Nederlands Film Festival, NL
  • 2019, Sep 24th
    AGI Open, NL
  • 2019, Sep 15th
    Reading Bodies, HKW Berlin, DE
  • 2019, May 1st
    Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne ECAL, CH
  • 2019, Jan 13th
    Letterspace Amsterdam, NL
  • 2019, Mar 10th
    High Intensity Camp, Daimler, DE
  • 2018, Dec 7th
    Digital Stories Lab, Warsaw, PL
  • 2018, Nov 23rd
    Us By Night, Antwerp, BE
  • 2018, Oct 18th
    Type Amsterdam, Bijzondere Collecties Amsterdam, NL
  • 2018, Oct 13th
    Cynetart Festival, Dresden, DE
  • 2018, Sep 23rd
    Ad Black Sea, Batumi, GE
  • 2018, Sep 1st
    M+ Matters: Art and Design in the Digital Realm, Hong Kong, HK
  • 2018, Jun 2nd
    European Design Festival, Oslo, NO
  • 2018, May 22nd
    Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, Antwerp, BE
  • 2018, April 21st
    TAAALKS Festival, Munich, DE
  • 2018, April 10th
    Playgrounds Blend, Breda, BE
  • 2018, Feb 19th
    HEAD Geneva School of Art and Design, Geneva, CH
  • 2018, Jan 22nd
    Academy of Fine Arts, Leipzig, DE
  • 2017, Nov 24th
    Face the Music Melbourne Music Week, Melbourne, AU
  • 2017, Nov 10th
    ADC Europe festival, Barcelona, SP
  • 2017, Oct 25th
    Cinekid Professionals Conference, Amsterdam, NL
  • 2017, Oct 10th
    10+10 Research in Art & Design at ECAL, Lausanne, CH
  • 2017, Jul 10th
    Otis College of Art and Design, LA, USA
  • 2017, Mar 8th
    Next Up: University of the Arts, London, UK
  • 2016, Oct 27th
    The Now Future Talkshow DDW&VPRO, Eindhoven, NL
  • 2016, Oct 8th
    SaiSai Seminar Typojanchi, Seoul, KR
  • 2016, Apr 28th
    RISD Rhode Island School of Design, Rhode Island, USA
  • 2015, Nov 27th
    ACT Festival, Gwangju, KR
  • 2015, Nov 26th
    Integrated, Antwerp, BE
  • 2015, Nov 12th
    SPAN Google Design Conference, London, UK
  • 2015, Nov 5th
    KIKK Festival, Namour, BE
  • 2015, Oct 10th
    REDO International Graphic Design Conference, Prishtina, XK
  • 2015, Oct 17th
    VLOW! Conference, Bregenz, AT
  • 2015, Mar 9th
    Tasmeem Middle East Art & Design Festival, Doha, QA
  • 2015, Mar 2nd
    Gerrit Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam, NL
  • 2015, Feb 28th
    Mann + Hummel Technology Awards Keynote, Stuttgart, DE
  • 2015, Feb 9th
    Werkplaats Typografie, Arnhem, NL
  • 2014, Dec 15th
    SUPSI University of Applied Sciences and Arts Southern Switzerland, Trevano, CH
  • 2014, Apr 10th
    TYPO International Design Talks, San Francisco, USA
  • 2014, Apr 9th
    Seeing Orange: Dutch Design at CCA, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, US
  • 2014, Apr 3rd
    Resonate, Belgrade, RS
  • 2014, Mar 28th
    STRP Share, Eindhoven, NL
  • 2014, Mar 7th
    Zurich University of the Arts, Zurich, CH
  • 2014, Feb 6th
    This Happened, Amsterdam, NL
  • 2013, Mar 26th
    Insights Design Lecture Series, Walker Art Centre, Minneapolis, US
  • 2013, Feb 1st
    Yale School of Art, New Haven, US
  • 2012, Sep 21st
    It’s Nice That Talk, London, UK
  • 2012, Mar 30th
    Toffie Pop Culture Conference, Cape Town, SA
  • 2012, Nov 19th
    Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne ECAL, Lausanne, CH

Awards

Press

Conditional Design

Conditional Design is not a Moniker project but the result of what began in 2008 with impromptu meetings on Tuesday nights between Edo Paulus, Jonathan Puckey, Roel Wouters and Luna Maurer, around the latter's kitchen table.
The Amsterdam based artist and designers, were looking for ways to avoid being defined by the media they worked with. Media are a common, yet restricting way of describing design- and artistic projects and practices.

Instead, they decided to search for a new term and definition that sufficiently described their way of working. The collective formulated a Manifesto, the Conditional Design Manifesto, in which they stated their shared views about design and art. Conditional Design focusses on the notion of designing conditions and rules of play that invite collaboration within a 'regulated' process towards an unpredictable design or result.

Conditional Design is an approach that reflects the tendencies of our contemporary society - under the influence of the media and rapid technological developments, our world, our lives and the way we interact with each other are increasingly characterised by speed and in a state of constant flux. In order to reflect the here and now, the members of Conditional Design adapt their methods to coincide with these developments focussing on processes rather than products, allowing their work to adapt to their respective environments, emphasise change and display differences.

Meanwhile the manifesto has been embraced by design educators around the world. In 2013 the Conditional Design Workbook, including several articles and many workshops, was published by Valiz and quickly sold out. Now is available again in a digital editon.

Shop ➝ Conditional Design Workbook – Digital edition
Website ➝ conditionaldesign.org
Instagram ➝ #conditionaldesign

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