MA Information Design Contributes to the ‘All in! Re-Designing Democracy’ Exhibition in Bonn and Dresden, Germany
The project was led by Louisa Wolf (MA Information Design, 2022) and Marco Ferrari (Studio Folder and MA Info Design Head), who managed a team of recent alumni: Augustina Lavickaite, Susanna Tomassini, and Jennifer Carniel (MA Information Design 2023). The team was selected from an open call amongst the class of 2023 to develop a multimedia exhibition for The Society Forum, which forms part of a larger exhibition featuring more than 80 artists. The ‘All in! Re-Designing Democracy’ Exhibition and the two citizen assemblies were curated by Vera Sacchetti (MA Information Design Tutor) and Amelie Klein.
The Society Forum project began by commissioning two citizen assemblies, each comprising of thirty-five randomly selected citizens. One assembly took place at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, and the other at the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Dresden. The aim was to gather insights and develop recommendations on how both museums could become more open, welcoming, and inclusive. The outcomes from these assemblies were made into an exhibition that showcased the results in a variety of artistic and multimedia formats.
Louisa’s team had the opportunity to participate in the two citizen assemblies, where they observed the process of how recommendations on making museums more inclusive and welcoming were discussed. Questions raised included: Should museums provide childcare, mobile seating, and admission-free days?
Reflecting on the experience, Louisa Wolf (MA Information Design, 2022) stated, “The challenge of this exhibition was to turn a complex democratic process that already happened in the past into an interactive, exciting, and easily understandable exhibition. Additionally, we had to react to the content we were presenting, as it directly stated how to improve a show: being interactive and playful, welcoming a diverse range of people, having texts written in an easy language but with enough context, understanding why some people might not come and changing that, and so on. Though they are not always simple to implement, these are recommendations that every exhibition maker should consider. After working with all of these ideas so extensively, I’m confident that they will be helpful for future projects as well.”
Louisa’s role involved leading her team in developing a multimedia exhibition, which included a wall infographic explaining The Society Forum process, a film featuring interview snippets with the assembly participants about democracy and the citizen assembly, filmed by Karnik Gregorian (interviewer, and filmmaker) and Uwe Wrobel (filmmaker). The exhibition also featured a tablet displaying The Society Forum website, developed by the team. They intended to incorporate a physical element into the exhibition – conversational objects initially planned to be produced by an external supplier. However, after an issue with the supplier, the team rented a small office space for two days, organising a team of 10 people to cut and sew fabric for the pillows. The graphics were printed by Peter van Ede, who has worked with numerous DAE alumni and graduating students. These pillow-like objects have been used as elements for hugging, sitting on, or playing with, adding an interactive dimension to the exhibition.
We extend our congratulations to the alumni and their collaborators for bringing this project to life and being part of such a significant exhibition. It stands as an outstanding project and a major achievement. If you wish to visit the exhibition in Bonn, it will be open until 13th October. It will also be displayed at the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Dresden from June 2025 onwards.