This article is written by Jorge Muñoz Zanón, Dafne+ Ambassador and former MDEF student, who has been actively involved in the EU project Dafne+.
Jorge shares reflections on his experience and how artists and designers are navigating creative technologies, the role of decentralised tools, and what meaningful digital engagement looks like today.

My experience as DAFNE+ Ambassador

As digital platforms become the main channels for creative work, many creators struggle with fair payment, maintaining ownership, and accessing new technologies. DAFNE+ addresses these issues by offering a different approach to distribution. Funded by the European Commission, this project has built a platform using blockchain technology that ensures creators receive fair compensation by making these tools accessible to everyone. Being an active member of the open source community myself, I felt drawn to this vision of democratizing creative tools ensuring fair compensation. This alignment between my values and the project’s goals motivated me to apply for the ambassador role, where I’ve been for the past year looking to be able to contribute to this approach of creative distribution.

Over the past year, as an ambassador, thanks to the Distributed Design Platform and Fab Lab Barcelona, I’ve had the chance to share this mission and vision with diverse communities across Spain. This has included discussions with project partners, presenting the project to students of the Master in Design for Emergent Futures (MDEF) at IAAC, Fab Lab Barcelona, and ELISAVA, co-hosting a seminar, and engaging with artisans and makers at Craftinnova in Valladolid. Each interaction offering unique insights into how decentralized platforms can empower and transform creative practices across different contexts and communities.

DAFNE+ Partner Symposium

In July 2024, I had the opportunity to present at the DAFNE+ Partner Symposium, where I tried to connect my research and perspectives to the project. My presentation talking about the future of craftship in the third digital revolution allowed me to highlight how traditional craft knowledge could benefit from and contribute to blockchain-based distribution models.

This gathering showcased how DAFNE+ was serving different areas, from music to makerspaces and design, while maintaining its core mission of fair distribution. Exchanging research findings and feedback with other partners provided valuable insights into my project direction and helped me better communicate its benefits to different communities during the following ambassador activities.

Craftinnova Valladolid

At Craftinnova in Valladolid this December, I led a workshop exploring the intersection of traditional craftship with digital possibilities through DAFNE+. The session demonstrated how emerging technologies like digital fabrication, blockchain, and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) could transform the crafts sector while empowering creators. I’m particularly proud that my research project, AI.RTISANSHIP which I presented alongside the workshop, received a mención de honor (honorable mention) from the event organizers, validating the relevance of this work in the contemporary craft ecosystem.

Through hands-on activities with movement capture, clay printing, and demonstrations of digital design tools, participants discovered practical applications of blockchain technology in their work. We explored how NFTs could create verifiable certificates of authenticity and enable fair compensation through programmable royalties.

Thanks to the opportunity of hosting this workshop, I managed to enrich my research by observing how different creative communities engage with these technologies. Working with resilient craft communities that have preserved techniques across generations offered great insights into creating truly accessible digital tools. Their perspectives on the different topics discussed, deepened my understanding of how to better serve creative practices through these “emergent” technologies.

Co-hosting a Collective Intelligence Seminar at MDEF

Following my Craftinnova workshop, last January, I had the opportunity to co-host a three-day seminar on Collective Intelligence with colleagues at the Master in Design for Emergent Futures (MDEF) program. This extended format allowed for a deep exploration of the core concepts of distributed design and decentralized governance that relate to contemporary challenges in creative fields.

Throughout the seminar, we examined the principles that drive collective action: openness, collaboration, regeneration, and ecosystemic thinking. We explored the concept of the commons, how communities can collectively govern shared resources, and how digital platforms can provide infrastructure for these governance models. Our discussions extended to DAOs as mechanisms for community decision-making and resource allocation.

Looking Forward

Reflecting on my time as an ambassador, I’m grateful for all this experience as this role has enriched both my research and personal journey. Engaging with such diverse communities (from artisans to design students and creatives) has challenged some of my initial thinking and opened new pathways of my research.

Beyond the presentations and workshops I had the opportunity to host, the connections formed and insights have been of great value.

As DAFNE+ concludes, I find myself even more committed and experienced in the area of open technologies that can empower rather than diminish creative practices. Questions raised and connections built during this ambassadorship continue to move my work moving forward, proving that the real value of the initiative lives in the communities it helps connect.