DEMO 1 – creative research and action institute for drama education and sustainable democracy

1 Who we are

DEMO, the creative research institute for sustainable democracy  and drama (in) education is a non-profit and independent think & do tank.

It combines playful, creative exploration, education and research as well as transformative action towards a humane democratic life for all people within the planetary boundaries.

DEMO can be seen as a prototype centre – which could be established at every school and university, health care centres or in every village and city, in libraries etc., as a creative education and action space.

2 DEMO

DEMO stands for democracy but also for demonstration as in protest and as in performance.

Linking these dimensions, we rethink and reshape democracy by focusing on exploring the relational aspect of humane meetings on equal footing beyond relations and structures of domination (gender, ethnicity, class…).

Our question is: what is the substance of democracy and the idea of being humane? Can we explore it in playful ways by drama education? And in the wider context: how to get out of the sustainability crises and express everyone’s dignity and value?

3 Vision

We imagine a convivial society that ensures a democratic life for everyone; one that is characterised by sustainable relations as free and equal, and prosperous societies which do provide unconditionally the basic resources for everyone to live a life in dignity.

We work for providing the knowledge and realisation of spaces in which we can explore the dimension of being humane: spaces, in which we can improvise, play, do research and plan action; which enable affirming contact to oneself and each others, and a regenerative, prosperous exchange with fellow human beings and nature; beyond all structures of domination.

4 Mission

We apply a new, social-imaginative, integrated ecological thinking and esthetical practices to understand and change the cultural and societal rules to co-create the transformation of our systems (political and economic) towards our vision.

In a “humane scenery”-approach, we try to make local and global areas, structures and relations visible as a “scenery” which could and can be changed: analysing and transforming spaces with the diabolo-model.

By using drama education and societal engagement, we try to give people from all corners of society the space and opportunity to explore the creation of humane spaces, as ways of interaction, and imagining new rules in culture, and society.

In this journey, we work from both sides at the same time: What does it mean, in playful experience as individuals and groups, to understand and create humane relations; and what societal, economic and political rules are needed from the local to the global dimension to enable social spaces in which these relations are possible (in education; health care; work place; and in general in the economy and politics)?

We start with not blundering for the interlinked social and ecological crises and injustices, creating pain and suffering (climate, biodiversity, etc.; gender, class…; global north and south). In this way, we combine a systemic perspective with an experiential approach: highlighting the dimension of humane connectedness. We intend to develop an indirect and direct impact; towards social and political transformation on all levels.

5 The 7 circles of the basic approach

see also https://micromacrodemocracy.wordpress.com/the-general-idea-and-the-diabolo-model/

We develop a new understanding of sustainability, combining theory and practice in a hand-heart-head approach:

1 as an aspect of processes of democratization

2 as being thereby about the “lived”, embodied relation to others and nature, not only about the use of resources or distributive justice

3 as making dignity of all visible and experienceable for everyone

4 as about providing together unconditionally the resources needed for 3, 2, 1

This is done by combining the 7 circles of the basic model:

Circle 4 is building the core of the diabolo. Circle 1 to 3 build one side; circle 5 to 7 the other. All are interdependent and express the same basic idea of sustainable democracy.

Circle 7:

Here, it is about making everyone’s dignity as free and equal visible and experienceable.

This is about building together real sustainable democratic relations on a local and global level. But it is much more than just about the sustainable use of resources and distributive justice. Because it is about together producing the circumstances and resources for all which makes everyone for everyone in its dignity experienceable. Therefore we work for global citizenship and a basic income and basic services for all.

This is done by developing an ecophilosophy of democracy; as well as creating the organisational structures to create a movement for global sustainable democracy, by creating centres of sustainable democracy, using the diabolo-model.

Circle 6 and 5:

We inform, help building and reframe and redesign the most important initiatives and movements for creating a sustainable democratic world. This is done by redesigning them with the insights of the diabolo-model in the centre: the idea of creating humane spaces in which we can connect.

• Doughnut Economics Lab: Creating a postgrowth just, prosperous economy
• Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty: Replacing the fossil society
• Faculty for a Future: Education
• Earth4All: Changing ecosystems into commons and providing basic income/services on a global scale

Focusing in these processes (circle 5) on the dimension of creating humane spaces of connectedness in all processes of production and organisation, in all sectors.

Circle 4:

Democratic leadership of groups (educational sector, workplace etc), with radical inclusiveness and non-violent communication.

Circle 3:

Improvisation of scenes, seeing through domination and creating humane relations (with the help of for example Keith Johnstone´s status-exercises)

Circle 2:

Playful exploring of intersubjective, synesthetique attunement; with the help of Meisner-impro-exercises and Daniel Sterns analysis.

Circle 1:

Using the basics of Alexander technique (F.M. Alexander) to explore playful a sustainable being-towards-the world-attitude; backed up by the empathy-research by Mary Helen Immordina-Yang.