The universe in and around us is a complex system of relations. When some people mention that everything is connected, they are not entirely wrong. We, that is, each of us, are not alone. We exist in a plural form, whether we like it or not, and our existence is relational. One thing you do does indeed affect others.

Friedensreich Hundertwasser was an Austrian architect, artist, and environmental activist. His view of the world was one in which our relation to nature should be intensely closer and deeply respectful. So much so that his architectural projects rejected straight lines and favored more organic shapes. He was very well known for how he implemented nature into his buildings. Many times, he would reserve an entire apartment for trees, and these inhabitants (yes, he considered the trees equal inhabitants, as humans were) could be seen coming out of the windows!

His work was relational. In fact, he once posed a proposal in a manifesto he wrote. He called it "The Five Skins". In this theory, he stated that each person actually had five skins, creating a system of relations. The first skin was your epidermis, your own skin, yourself. The second skin is your clothes, your expression, and your choice. The third skin is your home, where you have your family, your history, comfort, and identity. The fourth skin is the extended community, city, perhaps country, where you belong, where lies your extended identity. The last skin is our planet or universe, where we all belong, our shared space and biome.

It is with this relational vision that the MusēOn wishes to understand all sorts of relations that surround us and are part of all living and non-living things. This new exhibit calls on the visitor to notice the relational systems that are part of our daily lives, and thus help us better understand our individual and collective part in this grand game.