All in! Re-designing democracy
Consti2Go is a guerilla device hijacking existing printing infrastructures. It connects to standard ticket printers found in any commercial facility and allows, on the press of a button, to print a full copy of the US Constitution, creating a shadow content distribution network. It was orignally commissioned by the Harvard Library Innovation Lab and was adatped to print the German Constitution as part of the exhibition "All In! Redesigning Democracy".
Does our democracy need an update? Have we relied too long on the fact that nothing can shake our democracy? Democracy can only exist if we are constantly working on it. In a world that changes every day, it needs to be kept fit all the time. So, it's time to strengthen our democratic muscles!
Every aspect of democracy has been designed, therefore it can be designed differently. This observation applies not only to ballots or posters. It applies above all to the system itself: Who represents the people? What role do parties play? And who is allowed to vote and have a say? Everything that constitutes democracy according to the Western model is under scrutiny. Does it actually deliver what it promises? Is “for all” really for all? And what would happen if elections were not the sole centerpiece of democracy?
Every aspect of democracy has been designed, therefore it can be designed differently.
The exhibition All in! Re-Designing democracy is a call for active participation – both in the exhibition and in democracy itself. It is about participating in power. In fact, a more direct form of democratic co-determination is already being tested in various places. The German Bundestag, for example, has set up a Food Council, in Belgium there is a permanent citizens' parliament, and numerous cities allow their citizens to have a direct say on various issues. As part of the exhibition, the Bundeskunsthalle also had such a council: the Bundeskunsthalle's Society Forum, consisting of 35 randomly selected citizens, was convened to help democratize and open up the museum.
The exhibition also features a “gym” where we can all exercise our “democratic muscles”. Visitors can experience first-hand what it means to be empathetic, to show tenacity and to negotiate compromises. In addition, All in! Redesigning democracy sheds light on society's current push for more participation, as well as on traditional forms of democracy. How have people fought for democracy, for equal rights and freedom? In addition to art and design, evidence from political cultural history, architecture, film and photography will be on display.
