VICTOR KÉGLI

Politik-Line

Politik-Line
kunstraummitte, Berlin
Performance, Installation
Posters, telephon-hotline
1998
Political-Line – An Action Initiative September 14 -27, 1998, on the Occasion of the 1998 Bundestag Elections

Five fictitious political parties set up an online call service in the exhibition rooms of kunstraummitte.
Each party was represented by its own telephone and answering machine that were clearly marked as such. The telephone recordings of the individual parties were universally valid politically, and their concrete statements were without content. Only their outward forms and the type of language that was used made it possible to tell them apart.

The visitor to the exhibition was given the chance to listen to the recorded messages and news. It was also possible for him to personally intervene in the action by taking the telephone calls and giving answers. Thus, this visitor to the exhibition could act as a representative of the respective party, becoming part of the information service used by the callers.

Parallel to transforming the exhibition room into a central telephone desk or party headquarters, posters were put up in the Berlin-Mitte section of the city, which were oriented to the customary campaign posters for the Bundestag elections in terms of form and presentation. But like ads for sex services, the posters listed 0190-telephone numbers, and also adapted their external form. Via these 0190 telephone numbers, at a cost to the caller, it was possible to contact the respective parties, or at least, listen to their recorded messages on the answering machines.

This initiative ended with an election party that took place in the exhibition rooms on the evening of the day the Bundestag elections took place.

Politik-Line
Politik-Line
Politik-Line
Politik-Line
Politik-Line
Politik-Line
Politik-Line
Politik-Line
Politik-Line
Politik-Line
Politik-Line