How to Design a Revolution: The Chilean Road to Design

How to Design a Revolution: The Chilean Road to Design is a comprehensive exhibition on graphic and industrial design during Salvador Allende’s government in Chile (1970-1973). An exceptional case in the history of design, where the unprecedented act of choosing a revolution through the ballot box led to the first instance of a country to collectively designing through socialism and democracy.

The exhibition, which was on display in Santiago de Chile as part of the programme commemorating the 50th anniversary of the civilian-military coup, featured original pieces and design reproductions aimed at the democratisation of reading and music, the reduction of technological dependence and addressing child malnutrition, among other goals.

One of the most notable pieces in the exhibition is the first complete and functional reconstruction of the Cybersyn operations room, a project for networked communication between the country’s industries to enable participatory management of production, a landmark in cybernetic history.

Organised by: Directorate for Participation and Democratic Innovation of Barcelona City Council, DHub and the Barcelona Metropolitan Strategic Plan.

In collaboration with: MIT Program in Science, Technology, and Society, MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI), MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, MIT-Spain Program, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Estudios Urbanos de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Centro Cultural La Moneda, Ministerio de las Culturas, Artes y Patrimonios de Chile, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Canòdrom - Ateneu de d'Innovació Digital i Democràtica and iGuzzini.