ExhibitionEagle, Cross of Merit, Ballot Box Redesigning Democratic Representation

Design and architecture have always helped to make societal ideas visible and open to discussion. However, rather than relying on grand, monumental gestures – as has often been the case historically – or, conversely, limiting itself to small niche projects, the research and design project Re-De-Re pursues a third, more understated approach: a design-based exploration of individual, very concrete objects of our democratic representation.

Three of these objects are at the center of the exhibition. The ballot box, which in many municipalities remains to this day a simple, repurposed trash can – practical, but hardly befitting the solemnity of the election process. The federal eagle, whose symbolic significance as a bird of prey dates back to a time long before democracy. And the Federal Cross of Merit, with which the state honors civic engagement, but whose design is strongly influenced by Christian symbolism and, above all, military tradition. Drawing on these three examples, designers have developed new concepts that take a more contemporary and open-minded approach.

Re-De-Re is also a research project: for three years, the team has been accompanying politicians in their day-to-day parliamentary work to understand how representation functions on a small scale. The design perspective focused on the sensory and material aspects of this work, while the political science perspective examined power relations and procedures that are less easily grasped.

Throughout the process, observation and design continually informed one another – a dynamic that transforms the resulting objects into a bridge between political representatives, researchers, and visitors.

On view are works and perspectives by international designers, including Rozbeh Asmani, Maciej Chmara & Anna Rosinke, Esra Gülmen, Jianping He, Nadine Kolodziey, and Ingo Offermanns. The exhibition aims to show that democracy is not only administered but also designed and it invites visitors to collectively engage with this design process.

Re-De-Re (Redesigning Democratic Representation) is a project of the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg and the Hochschule des Bundes für öffentliche Verwaltung, funded by the VolkswagenStiftung.

Curator: Friedrich von Borries

Exhibition design: Friedrich von Borries und Philipp Cartier

Exhibition graphics: Gihong “Kiki” Park

Research team: Sven T. Siefken, Friedrich von Borries, Juliane Baruck, Philipp Cartier

Participating Artists and Designers:
Rozbeh Asmani, Uri Barnea, Moritz Bendl, Nehora Chajes, Maciej Chmara, Kadijatou Dahaba, Neta Magda Dror, Petra Esveld, Kane Tank, Agata Germain, Gestaltungszentrale Politik, Santiago Gomez, Esra Gülmen, Juan Guse, Jianping He, Jarek Kozakiewicz, Nadine Kolodziey, Pauli Muszi, Itay Noy, Ingo Offermanns, Krzysztof Oleksiak, Stanislaw Orlowski, Daniel Afriyie Owusu, Oxa, Haim Parzon, Peter Post, Emma Rahe, Anna Rosinke, Kaj Schlicht