Artmoney

What is your name?

– Jonas Waaben.

Where do you live?

– I live at Nørrebro in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a collective.

Where are you from?

– I come from the Danish country-side.

What is your occupation?

– I work with several things. My professional work is first and foremost as an IT consultant in my own web agency, called Korpus. I design websites, information systems and do user research. Formerly I worked as an external lecturer at the University of Copenhagen and The IT University of Copenhagen. I also work as a musician – I play the drums in a rock band called The Mind Flowers. We play 60s inspired, psychedelic rock music. We compose our own lyrics and music.

What do you like to do?

– Luckily there is an overlap between what I do and what I like to do. I am very interested in both music and IT. Besides that, I like to listen to music and discover new music when I do not play myself. This has been made easy to do with the Internet. Before the Internet, it was a matter of knowing a good friend, who could recommend music that you did not know. It is still good to have such a friend, but it has become easy to explore on your own. I also read a lot of books and I am interested in science. Especially the social sciences. For example sociology or the cross field between the social sciences and IT. Like how IT can effect human practices. Or how IT can function well with individuals, groups, organizations and society.

Do you have a dream for your life?

– Yes I do. It may be difficult to summarize in a single sentence, but I dream of creating something that can make a difference. Both for myself, but also for others. Hopefully in such a way that I can help creating something that can change things for the better. It is easy to think of examples, where an IT solution can transform a complicated matter into something more simple. You can also change the world with music, understood on a more abstract level. It may help the audience reach a realization. Imagine hearing some music at a concert or on a recording that helps you consider things in a different way than you are used to. It happens for me all the time.

Do you have a wish for changes in the world? Which? How? When?

– Yes. Absolutely. I would like the world be more sustainable in the future, in every sense of the word. Not only when it comes down to the environment. It is of course obvious that we cannot keep polluting and still keep a planet to live on. But also sustainability in a social and human context. I wish we did something serious about the problem with poverty. That all people had free access to a good, secure and healthy life. Free access to knowledge and education. And all together that the privileges reserved to a small group of citizens on Earth could be shared by everybody.

I think that it is already happening – things are changing all the time. For example, concerning access to knowledge, it has become increasingly difficult for those in power to keep a secret from the public. Secrets naturally still exist, but they are revealed. However, we are still in need of a quick change in regards to the environment, poverty and equal rights. I think there is a change coming, but there is still a long way to go. 

Why do your company accept artmoney as part payment?

– Yes, up to 50 percent! Because it makes sense. On one hand it is related to the ideas we just discussed. In the sense that if you can produce artmoney you can get access to goods and services. I think it is a fine idea that you can create money in your own fashion, instead of only in conventional ways like wage labor. And because I believe that artmoney works as a currency. I do not consider it a risk to accept artmoney. 

What will you do with artmoney you receive as payment?

I think I will spend it! I live in Copenhagen, where I see that other businesses accept artmoney as payment. Maybe a visit to the theatre. I might also decide to keep some of the artmoney in my art collection. Time will tell.