Declaring Reason

Democracy holds a precarious position in times of post-truth politics, because when facts don’t matter and sensation rules, how can democracy possibly survive? In the 2017 elections for the House of Representatives in the Netherlands, France and Germany, the European Union is subject to unprecedented challenges that threaten its very existence. This seems reason enough for a young generation to explore concepts of governance and understand the democratic legacy of our predecessors.

For Declaring Reason each Graphic Design student group selected one book from a pre-curated collection of political books that form the backbone of this exhibition. Books reviewed include Atlas Maior (1662–1665) by Johannes Blaeu, Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670) by Spinoza, Encyclopédie (1751–1772) by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d’Alembert, Social Contract (1762) by Jean Jacques Rousseau, Aan het Volk van Nederland – To the People of the Netherlands (1781) by Joan Derk van der Capellen tot den Pol and the 1814 Dutch constitution. Each of the selected books has shaped our understanding of democracy in a particular way.

The core objective of Declaring Reason was to contextualize seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Enlightenment period publications by understanding their historical relevance and connecting them to contemporary political scenarios. The students’ task was to use the text and context of given books as inspiration to derive personal, yet well researched reflections and bring their findings to life as interactive, audio-visual and textual exhibition pieces. The results of this unique partnership are presented as an exhibition that showcases twenty-three projects, many of which critically reflect on our current democratic system, by highlighting its historical origins and how we could possibly reconnect with its core values amidst current times of democratic despair.

The Graphic Design department at the KABK is very excited to collaborate with Museum Meermanno and witness our students engage with rare, historical, yet relevant material. We believe that graphic design studies in particular should critically engage with the way media distributes and impacts political information and messages. We encourage students to question currently used media platforms, to think beyond surface interfaces, to understand the mechanics, agendas and power structures at play behind the everyday tools that we all use. We are very pleased to witness how students have come to realize that the philosophical thoughts and societal critique of thinkers like Spinoza, Rousseau and Diderot are still applicable to the social confusion and class inequalities that exist today.

The exhibition title, Declaring Reason refers to political reasonings that have formed the foundation of representative democracy. Learning how to debate, formulate a position and defend a particular argument have been the cornerstones of this long-term research project. Graphic design and political texts are both concerned with the communication and manifestation of ideas, which thereby make visible a critical voice in our society. It has been a valuable exercise for students to contextualize democracy by understanding its role in different historical frameworks. Declaring Reason projects give us hope that an upcoming generation of designers will be increasingly engaged with democracy by formulating opinions and aspirations concerning ideals such as freedom, responsibility and justice.

Participating students: Matyáš Bartoň, Hilde Barwegen, Nóra Békés, Leith Benkhedda, Kylièn Bergh, Paul Bille, Antonia Brell, Thijmen van Brunschot, Kiki Coster, Rudi van Delden, Niels van der Donk, Carmen Dusmet Carrasco, Vanessa Eck, Jan Egbers, Lukas Engelhardt, Elizaveta Glukhova, Michiel Heemskerk, Daniel Hernández Chacón, Saber Javanmard, Rebecca Joly, Ies de Jong, Daan Kars, Dóra Kerekes, Rik Laging, Iris Lam, Jungeun Lee, Anna Lenczewska, Zuzanna Loch, Andréas van der Mast, Kay Pisarowitz, Paw Poulsen, Taisiia Reshetnik, Guillaume Roux, Rebecca Rui, Josephine van Schendel, Theresa Scherrer, Marika Seo, Asya Sukhorukova, Lou Top, Lin Ven, Natalia Vishnevskaia and Wannes Vrijs.

A selection of the projects is shown here.