Crisis of Democracy

6. bis 10. März 2017 Domgasse 1, IC Lecture Room DO0327

Interface Culltures lädt zum Workshop mit Prof. Dr. Gerhard M. Buurman.

We are witness to a worldwide rebellion against liberal and representative democracy.
Survey data substantiate our suspicion that citizens in western democracies increasingly oppose freedom of speech, question the legitimacy of democratic institutions, and agree with the claim that democracy is a bad or failing system. The truth is going to be splitted in alternative truths (Post Truth). Some people proclaim the end of history (Francis Fukuyama) and the clash of civilisations (Samuel Phillips Huntington).
The Arts of the 20st century are known as to oppose THE SYSTEM, to subdue anti-institutionalism and to impose itself as critical, impartial and indispensable. One day we woke up and found ourselves in the position to rescue this order we opposed not so long ago.
This workshop / course hypothesizes the emphatical and analytical knowledge to understand the crises of democracies and to experiment with digital technologies as ‘game changers’ and - a not neutral - re-conditioner of the human condition (Conditio Humana). The course covers questions about our society by utilizing the methods and techniques of — …. You will learn to theorize the politics and to politicize your work as an artist. Participants will deepening their understanding of our socio-political condition and foster their understanding of the Arts as a role model in transition. The orientation is problem focused.

In romance with ‘dynamics’
Some keywords from the Arts, Philosophy and the social-political debate:

● Nation: Will the influence of cities eclipse the power of traditional nation-states?
● Institution: Legislation and game mechanics;
● Consensus: Blogging, voting and the public intellectual
● Subculture: Heterotopia
● Citizenship: conception of agency (the publicness of action and speech)
● Revolution: transboundary networks and formations
● Habituation: Surveillance and Controll
● Post Cybernetics: Unplugged — Unshrugged
● Chaos: Cosmos: Entropy

Class schedule

Monday, 6th March 2017, 14.00 - 18.00 Uhr
Critical Design: A valid approach?
Presentation / Examples / Discussion

Wednesday, 8th March 2017, 14.00 - 16.00 Uhr
Concept Workshop
Each participants presents ideas / concepts

Thursday, 9th March 2017, 10.15 - 17.00 Uhr
Mentoring (Guest: Andreas Rumpfhuber, Vienna)

Friday, 10th March 2017, 10.15 - 17.00 Uhr
Public presentation

Reading  
● Sassen, S. (2005). Denationalization: Territory, Authority and Rights in a Global Digital Age. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
● Arendt, H. (1960). Vita Activa oder Vom tätigen Leben. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer.
● Dahl, R. A. (1989). Democracy and its Critics. New Haven: Yale University Press. ● Rand, A. (1957). Atlas Shrugged. New York: Random House.
● Asimov. I. (1955). Franchise. Online Source.