The social, political and most importantly, economic indicators in the world today do not leave any room for doubt: we are evolving from the possession oriented attitudes of post industrial generations into an era of sharing, of loaning or borrowing and of bartering. This community driven consumer behavior is referred to as a so-called “What’s mine is yours economy.” This does not mean that anybody does actually want to do without anything absolutely, but the willingness to share with others is indeed growing. This easy to identify phenomenon is obviously and ultimately also the result of all of the currently ever so popular and well known social platforms on the Internet. For those who would like to learn more about this, we recommend the article by Kerstin Bund published in DIE ZEIT No. 51 of 15th December 2011 (in German) – “Meins ist deins” (What’s Mine is Yours).
In accordance with this productive communal approach, we can proudly look back on a year filled with achievements. We were actually able to officially register more than 365 Structuristic Works (see: http://www.structuristicart.com/werke-2011/).
Principally, this is equivalent to an output of one painting per day. It goes without saying that this amazing volume produced in 2011 is of course the result of the industriousness, persistence and high level of motivation of all the many Structurists involved – young or older, short or tall. Our mutual commitment to pursue only the best – at all times – ensured that we maintained high quality standards.
Given that above mentioned evolution in favor of a different consumer understanding, we are happy to report that an increasing number of Structuristic Works are now being used in barter training or as a form of payment within our own community, but also externally (even in payment for services!).
In other words, the production of Structuristic Painting results not only in the creation of art, but also in the generation of readily accessible objects of value that can be easily traded. Thanks to our strict indexing rules ensuring that the gains in value are controlled (rather than speculative) this is happening in a price segment that previously did not even exist for the average person. After all the costly access to stocks, precious metals, speculatively traded artwork or and especially real estate, was and is still only available to those individuals who previously already were in possession of assets. For the general public of average wage earners, who had hardly any or no options to amass larger amounts of money and accrue other capital reserves and who only had access to traditional home builder’s savings plans, retirement insurance and savings accounts, sustainably secure options to truly long term asset building were certainly elusive.
Consequently, every registered and therefore genuine piece of Structuristic Art is subject to intentionally deferred gains in value. Most importantly, this index is used to ensure that the initial price of the art is highly affordable. As a result, anyone, including individuals who only have small budgets, can participate in the success of our revolutionary way of creating and owning art without any hoops to jump through. This means that every Structurist is at the same time a creator as well as a beneficiary of this art form!
The idea of this completely new understanding of a self-produced artefact as a bartering and payment resource, i.e. an object of trade, was conceived by the founder of Structuristic Art Studies, Felix Stoffel and stems from his heritage – he grew up the son of a textile manufacturer in Eastern Switzerland. After all, commodities were scarce during the past two large scale wars, even for the production of fabrics. During these difficult times, his ancestors invented the famous “Stoffel-Tüchli.” These were small yet high quality products featuring intricately made hand-rolled and often beautifully embroidered handkerchiefs that were still affordable even in times of crisis.
The most important aspect was that numerous people still had a way to make a living even during times of economic upheaval (especially the farmers were very grateful if they were given the opportunity to make fabric for these extremely popular items during the slow winter months).
In our modern day and age, Felix Stoffel intends to not only renew this originally industrial tradition through the creation of art – he also wants to expand it. In other words, Structurists create high quality, much admired and beloved objects in their own homes or in Structuristic Centers, which will not only continue to gain value, but can also be traded directly and can therefore be used as a new currency.
This vision might initially appear to be quite an extraordinary concept. Nevertheless, in the coming era, during which traditional money will see a dramatic decline in value without any adequate alternative to turn to, this process will, in any event, soon establish itself as a welcome necessity. This is a fact to celebrate in times when there won’t be much to celebrate. Actually, it is the best way to combine the useful with the beautiful.
Consequently, we would like to encourage Structuristic Artists and the people interested in this art form to create numerous Structuristic Paintings in the new year in order to present them on as broad a spectrum as possible and the specifically exchange them for other objects as well as to use them to acquire merchandise and services.
Of course, every Structuristic Painting was, is and will continue to be a gift people love to receive and that can be given on every magnificent occasion – whenever it seems appropriate.
We would now like to wish everyone a prosperous New Year with adventure filled moments and lots of joy as you embark on your artistic endeavors.
With kindest regards,
Sandra Zellweger, Laila Capadrutt, Judith Capadrutt, Onna Rageth