In a democracy there is no place for idiots.

Democracy again

Beautiful May has arrived and a new (old) exhibition will open, namely our first Democracy-installation, I et demokrati findes der ikke plads for idioter (In a democracy there is no place for idiots). This time the installation will be in Danish and take a look at Danish politics due to the upcoming elections in Denmark.

The exhibition will open on the 9th of May as a part of the festival Talk Town, which main purpose is to create a platform for democratic debate about equality, gender and feminism.

I et demokrati findes der ikke plads for idioter wants to bring awareness to how words are being used in politics, and how important it is to actively take a stance. With the installation questions such as; What are the choices of the voters based on? and What will happen if the words of the politicians is taken out of their context and put into a new? Inspired Ludwig Wittgenstein‘s thoughts regarding ‘language-game‘ and the definition of ‘an idiot’ as a person who does not participate in the democratic process, words will be ‘activated’ the interactive installation.

I en demokrati finns det inte plats för idioter. / In a democracy there is no place for idiots.

I_en_demokrati_FB

 

Vad händer då ord blir en vara, då språket används för vinnings skull?

We do not say that a man who takes no interest in politics is a man who minds his own business;                                                                                                   we say that he has no business here at all. Pericles enligt Thucydides.

I antikens Grekland kallades den som inte aktivt intresserade sig för politik  “idiot”. Ordet betecknade en enskild individ i motsats till en offentlig.

Demokrati bygger på att medborgarna aktivt tar ställning till vem som ska representera, parti eller person, och hur landet ska styras. På vilka grunder görs dessa val på? Ord i form av löften, politiska ställningstaganden, partiprogram osv. utgör en viktig del.

Vad händer då orden, ställningstaganden och löften, plockas bort ur sin kontext och placeras i ett nytt sammanhang eller får stå ensamma utan att kopplas till en specifik person eller ett politiskt parti? Finns det ord som är mer förekommande än andra? Finns det ord som är mer tilltalande, melodiskt uttalade såväl som grafiskt framställda?

Ovanstående frågeställningar och citat utgör utgångspunkt i projektet ”I en demokrati finns det inte plats för idioter.” Med hjälp av CoScene-teamet kommer en interaktiv audiovisuell installation att växa fram under 2014-2015. Projektet genomförs med stöd från Kulturbryggans Tema 2014: Kultur & Politik. Mer info om projektet kommer under de närmaste veckorna.

 

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What happens when words become a product as language is used aiming for profit?

We do not say that a man who takes no interest in politics is a man who minds his own business;                                                                                                   we say that he has no business here at all. Pericles according to Thucydides.

 In ancient Greece the one who paid no attention to politics was called “idiot”. The meaning of the word was someone who was characterized by self-centeredness and concerned almost exclusively with private—as opposed to public—affairs.

Democracy is founded on the assumption that the citizens play an active part and vote who shall represent them and run their country. On what fundament are these choices and the elections made? Words in the shape of promises, political standpoints, political platforms, etc. play an important part. But what happens when the words, the standpoints and the promises and lifted from their usual context and placed into a new environment or are allowed to stand on their own without any connection to specific individual or political party? Are certain words more common than others? Are there any words, which are more attractive, melodically articulated and/or graphically presented?

These questions and quotes is the starting point for the project “In a democracy there is no place for idiots.” With the help from the CoScene-team an interactive audiovisual installation will be created during 2014-2015. The project is made possible with support from Kulturbryggan Tema 2014: Kultur & Politik. More info regarding the project will come during the next couple of weeks.