"100 years of the Weimar Republic, 70 years of the Basic Law, 30 years of the fall of the Berlin Wall - history shows that our society is capable of improvement. What once sounded completely utopian is now taken for granted: from rights of personal freedom to peace in a united Europe. Unfortunately, however, this simple knowledge quickly gets lost. Pessimism and discouragement determine the current debates far too much".
Open Society e.V. (in German: Offene Gesellschaft e.V.)
What country do we want to be? With this question in mind, the Open Society is touring through Germany. The initiative asks for good ideas and new thoughts not only in Bochum and Aachen but also in Finsterwalde and Passau. Through a network of local groups and initiatives, debates, workshops and art actions are organised in the respective tour locations.
Together with the Initiative Offene Gesellschaft e. V., facts and fiction has conceived and realised a participative touring exhibition and has contributed the heart of the tour, the wooden door opener for discussions.
The logo of the Open Society, the exclamation mark, becomes a walk-in blueprint for tomorrow's society. Together with a team of creators, designers and architects, we develop a modular space that allows the walker to spend time in the city centre.
Five modules plus an opening module are clustered into different privileges, such as freedom of expression, freedom of the press or freedom of assembly, which we enjoy and which we must defend. The privileges of an open society are communicated interactively: For example, visitors can experience how equal opportunities in Germany behave at an XXL marble track; or they press protest buttons to generate loud attention and underline our right to be on the streets.
The interactive exhibition is filled with new content and stories throughout the year, so the first location in Schwerin seems a little empty. However, the interactions stimulate and convey an understanding of our political participation. In the next step, the visitors themselves are asked to leave ideas and visions on site or take them into subsequent discussions.
In November 2019, the Open Society will present what people throughout the country have discussed and thought about at a major closing event in Berlin. The ideas will be passed on as a kind of Green Paper to politicians and the general public.
Together with the Open Society, facts and fiction develops the content and theme clusters, conceives interaction and participation possibilities, designs and creates the space and develops the graphic designs. Together with various partners, everything from the first draft sketch to the on-site exhibition is controlled by facts and fiction. Logistics, transport and coordination with the respective locations are included.