Building on the conceptualisation of the initial exercise and taking into account the political-historical context of Chile, as well as the innovative Cybersyn project, this extended version aims to explore the datasets in more depth using unconventional graphic design methods. Specifically, the exploration includes collage and handwritten annotations as alternative approaches.
Using political archives as a discursive system of power rather than a static repository of facts (Foucault, 1969) to visualise silenced narratives, the aim of this exercise is to compare the values and legacy of the Cybersyn project with the current post-military dictatorship Chilean economic model.
Detail of the practice
On the one hand, the foreground of the collage shows data on the country’s GDP and national income from 1970 to 2020, accompanied by a photograph of the bombing of the Presidential Palace, illustrating the sudden change of course. The collage technique was used to represent fragments of black-and-white photographs and databases using torn paper. They were exposed in high contrast to differentiate them from the background and make them visible. On the other hand, the collage background shows diagrams used during the short duration of the Cybersyn project, which contrast with the current established model and serve as an opportunity to visualise the values and legacy left by this innovative project in an ideal alternative to encourage participatory ideas in the promotion of democracy.
In this exercise, handwritten annotations were used to underline important points from the relationships established in the collage. The annotations explore two purposes: firstly, to highlight significant dates and introduce essential ideas that can provide the reader with a reference of the historical context of Chile from 1973 to 2020. Secondly, to introduce some concepts related to the Cybersyn project by taking advantage of the background composition of the collage.
References:
- Foucault, M. 1969. Archaeology of knowledge. routledge. https://shorturl.at/isXZ5