Exploring what's between art, design and algorithms
Duty Free is a New York City-based design collective organized by Tee Topor, Munus Shih, and Nikki Makagiansar.
Duty Free is a New York City-based design collective organized by Tee Topor, Munus Shih, and Nikki Makagiansar.
We specialize in interactive experiences that transcend the digital screen. Duty Free’s practice exists within the liminal space between graphic design, algorithmic generation, and art experience. Our practice is guided by the question: what does mutual aid look like within art and design communities?
To us, duty represents a calling to re-imagine design’s purpose as a tool to uplift marginalized communities and to contribute to an informed society.
To be duty free symbolizes our fundamental belief that the collection of data and resources should not only be decentralized, but also distributed amongst communities.
We have a shared political ideology that informs our process.
Community of Learning
01
We recognize our positionality. Our positionality affords us access to resources that we take upon ourselves to hack and redistribute.
02
We realize each person has unique offerings. We offer and receive knowledge with the patience to teach and be taught.
Collective World-Building
03
We research, study, and acknowledge existing histories and systems that are collectively built, and we continue to build upon them with intention.
04
We research, study, and acknowledge existing histories and systems that are collectively built, and we continue to build upon them with intention.
Slow Craft
05
We actively challenge the capitalistic expectation to achieve perfection. The process is never perfect.
06
We design through research and research through design. Our work taps into lived experiences as opposed to institutional knowledge.
Intentional Collaboration
07
We prioritize slowness, cultivating long-term collaborations over transient clients.
08
We benefit from the collaborators we work with, as much as they benefit from us.