ABOUT GUMSTRATEGY.COM

Gumstrategy is a virtual tool for discussing what democracy looks like and what democracy is. Gumstrategy.com is supposed to start off the big questions: how does democracy work? What does a room look like that houses democracy? How does the design affect the people who use it? And what influence does the form and materials of the rooms have on the government?

The tool is called ‘Gumstrategy’ because, like an elastic chewing gum bubble, it will fit into any building that houses a government and rethink it. It works as a new space strategy to optimize democratic rooms in order to make them provide the possibility for diversity.

Democracy originates from Greek. It is found in all its aspects in society and there are many types of democratic governments in the world. Gumstrategy takes as its starting point that democracy is a type of government that makes room for dissimilarity. A society that is unified is sick. A democratic society is inclusive and protects minorities and has room for dissimilarity. Diversity is a condition for development in a society. Gumstrategy demonstrates this with a fictive case from the Danish parliament. A fictive redesign of the hall of parliament and the adjoining meeting rooms illustrates how the rooms could also be designed and what the consequences would be for the way one uses and interprets this democratic room. What would happen if next year’s financial plans were being finalised while sitting on fitness balls? Would the international cooperation look differently if George Bush and Angela Merkel were talking together on a giant swing that had to be kept constantly in balance? Would the welfare system be fairer if the negotiations were taking place from a child’s perspective whilst sitting on small children’s chairs?

Bosch & Fjord