Thing – The Living Allegory

In the applicant’s own words:

• Inspiration: What inspired you to start the project?

TING draws inspiration from a long tradition of political allegories, including Lorenzetti’s famous frescos in the council hall of the Republic of Siena. The work helps the viewer conceptualize aspects of good and bad governance.

• Ambition: What do you wish to accomplish with the project?

TING seeks to discover modern allegories of governance by using contemporary artistic expressions and tools in regard to our Nordic democratic process. It is a project where artists, scientists, technicians, programmers and designers work together to develop new interfaces for art as a societal function.

• Process: How is the planning and the preparations of the project going so far?

In our preparations and research for TING we are exploring themes such as the narrative of values, artificial life, SPOTs (semiotic points of transformation). We are also investigating methods like text mining and the code-driven dynamics of society, digging deeper into urban and media semiotics as a means to externalizing the emotional structures of modern society.

Comment from the fund:

The project’s idea to develop an installation of sound and light to mirror the state of democracy in the Nordics is visionary, original and has broad appeal. The use of AI to gather data from the parliaments of Sweden and Åland displays an innovative and constructive approach to AI, considering the project’s subject matter. The project shows an overall inclusive approach: it includes artists, musicians, scientists and engages local youth in the process of development, and displays ideas of outreach including live performance, cinema experience and online formats.