A Political Classroom

Artistic Research project

Curator: Cecilia Widenheim

Technical data: wooden structure, curtains, growing lights, furniture (tables and chairs), video and sound equipment

Workshop: Agents of Change: Mediating Minorities. Participants: Asha Mohamed, Daniela Jadama, Nada Ali, Nora Ordenes Söderberg, Rebecca Beyene, Senait Tesfai, Tatiana Bodnar. Technical team: Johan Walhgren, Olle Arbman, Karl Norin, Max Ronnersjö.

Seminar: Community Space for Tensta

Research questions: What will happen with Tensta Träff / Gymnasium / Public Library? Why is the public space sold to a private owner? Where is the tax money people pay to take care of the public space? How should people demand the space for performing its publicness? How to produce awareness and stimulate public action for public space? How could cities afford to pay for public space maintenance until recently and now it is not possible anymore? Is Democracy getting privatised?

Apolonija Šušteršič's design of the classroom is the result of a number of discussions and workshops with the participants in the course Mediating Minorities. From May 2021 to January 2022, conversations were held between course participants, local voices and national actors about the need for community spaces in Tensta. With the project A Political Classroom, she wants to highlight historical events concerning community spaces in Tensta and discuss the effects of increasing privatisation in Stockholm. The classroom is intended as a place where people can sit down and talk, without hierarchies.

A Political Classroom is part of Agents of Change: Mediating Minorities (2020–22), funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, with Tensta konsthall, Cultura-säätiö (Finland), Tallinn City Museum (Estonia) and LCCA, Center for Contemporary Art (Latvia).