How is political and citizenship activity represented?
Pindices was a collaboration with sociologist Andrew Barry (then director of the Centre for the Study of Invention and Social Process at Goldsmiths, now at Oxford University Centre for the Environment). This practice-led project sought to design means for making political activity visible, but not in in the ways typically measured by polling agencies or using the normal methods of social science. Rather than looking at political  ideologies, institutions, groups or identities, we started with the individual and their acts. We invited participants to make public a reckoning of their everyday political and citizenship activity. The main devices are button badges with phrases describing different acts (eg I recycled, I said what I believe) to which people could help themselves. The badges were arranged in 2m-high plastic tubes which from a distance resemble physical bar charts. As people take the badges, the levels in the tubes vary presenting an aggregate view of political activity.
Pindices (Personal Political Indices)
Participative time-based installation + website
 
Collaboration with Andrew Barry
 
Commissioned by Bruno Latour and Peter Weibel for ‘Making Things Public’, ZKM Karlruhe, Germany, 2005
 
 
Project development supported by AHRC creative and performing arts fellowship at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, ZKM, and Goldsmiths College. Early research was supported by Arts Council England’s New Media Projects fund.
 
The Pindices website was a collaboration with George Grinsted
 
 
Texts on badges
  1. I obeyed the law
  2. I shopped ethically
  3. I protested
  4. I kept myself informed
  5. I recycled
  6. I signed a petition
  7. I said what I believe
  8. I raised issues
  9. I supported a political organisation
  10. I used public services
  11. I voted
  12. I broke the law
 
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