Designing Politics exhibition

Theatrum Mundi, in collaboration with LSE Arts, were proud to present an exhibition on Designing Politics. Learning from three ideas challenges in New York, London and Rio de Janeiro, this exhibition initiated a conversation about the relationship between design, performance, politics and the city.

What does it mean to design for free speech? Can architects create urban commons? Is respect something that can be built into the city? Emerging from Theatrum Mundi workshops out of the Occupy Movement in 2012, Designing Politics examines the limits and potential of design in addressing political questions of the city. Each year a different question was asked in a different city. In New York in 2014, we asked whether urban design interventions can stimulate the use of the First Amendment protecting free speech in public. In London in 2015, we called for the design of systems and situations through which new urban commons could be built. In Rio in 2016, we asked whether an aesthetics of respect can be designed, and what the implications are for the politics of the city.
 On each occasion, an open call invited interdisciplinary teams of people across the performing and visual arts, and the built environment disciplines to send in propositional responses.

Rather than exhibit the winners of the three ideas challenges again, this exhibition learnt from across the three years to reflect upon the relationship between design, politics and the city. 

The exhibition was designed by Mike Lim, Roddy Bow & James Pockson.

This project was coordinated by Theatrum Mundi with the support of LSE Cities.