Open. Cahier on Art and the Public Domain
no. 24 on Politics of Things
What Art & Design do in Democracy
For information, ordering and subscriptions see
www.opencahier.nl
www.naipublishers.nl/open
In 2005, in the book and the exhibition Making Things Public: Atmospheres of Democracy, Bruno Latour and Peter Weibel asked themselves how democratic politics could function better and what the role of things, objects, issues and art might be within that. Open 24 investigates the current state of affairs in the theory and practice of the ‘Politics of Things’. What does a thing like ‘art’ do in democracy, how does art make publics, how does a thing interact with other things and people, and how does it influence them?
Jeroen Boomgaard shows how the politics of things offers purchase for actual practice, while Sher Doruff urges more abstract and philosophical reflections. Peter-Paul Verbeek demonstrates how art can examine the political role of things. Noortje Marres uses the example of the teapot to analyse the political role of technology, things and issues. Bernard Stiegler philosophizes on the technical condition under hyper-capitalism. His essay is introduced by Pieter Lemmens. Pascal Gielen proposes that the ‘Art Thing’ can encourage a democratic autonomy. Peter Peters and Ruth Benschop reconsider the public work of art Tilted Arc by Richard Serra. Fiona Candlin investigates the public significance of the Vintage Wireless Museum in London. Mariska van den Berg examines how the relation between citizens and the government can be reinterpreted by art. Plus, a visual contribution by Yvonne Dröge Wendel and her Object Research Lab, with a dialogue by Sher Doruff and Maartje Hoogsteyns.
Editors: Jorinde Seijdel, Liesbeth Melis
Guest editors: Jeroen Boomgaard, Peter Peters, Sher Doruff, Yvonne Dröge Wendel
Open 24: Politics of Things. What Art & Design do in Democracy
English edition ISBN 978-94-6208-030-0 | Paperback | 128 p | 17 x 24 cm | Illustrated
About Open
Open is a cahier that reflects upon contemporary public space from a cultural perspective. Open 24 is the last issue of Open. Cahier on Art and the Public Domain as published by SKOR | Foundation for Art and the Public Domain and nai010 publishers. Due to the revision of the Dutch government’s subsidy policy and the cutbacks that have come with it, SKOR, the initiator of Open, will cease to exist in its present form.
As of 2013, however, Open is continuing as the independent foundation Open! Platform for Art, Culture and the Public Domain. At present, the editors are busy transforming Open into an international online and offline platform for an experimental body of thought on art, culture and the public domain, which will generate printed and digital publications. Open! will closely collaborate with Stroom Den Haag, center for art and the urban environment.
This summer, the overview Open! Art, Culture and The Public Domain. Key Texts 2004–2012 was published. With contributions by Wolfgang Ernst, Brian Holmes, Boris Groys, Sven Lütticken, Jonathan Sterne and many others. English edition | ISBN 978-94-6208-003-4
For information and ordering see: www.opencahier.nl and www.naipublishers.nl/open, or contact SKOR | Foundation for Art and Public Domain at +31 20 672 2525, info [at] skor.nl and www.skor.nl.
