What is Democracy on May 7th?

RESISTANCE & SPATIAL REFORMERS: REFUSING TO ACCEPT ONE'S PLACE
FRIDAY 07 MAY 2010, 6:30PM at TATE BRITAIN {Turner's Italian Odyessy T7}

I'll be taking part in this event at the Tate, introducing selected chapters of Oliver Ressler's film What is Democracy?

As the final results of the UK election will be rolling in, I'm interested to see how the salon structure of the event creates or limits a moment of democracy. It's difficult to 'include as many people as possible' in public discourse about rethinking democracy, let alone the implementation of institutional frameworks that might facilitate this. But the sameness of the UK political parties, and the apathy of voters without choice leads us to ask exactly 'What is Democracy?' and how might we achieve it? Ressler's films offer many insights through exploring the blindpots, backspots and diverse perspectives on democracy around the world.

The Salon is organised by 'This Is Not A Gateway' is part of European Alternative’s Transeuropa Festival and Tate Britain’s Late at Tate event East is East.

The EA Festival is tackling the European Commission's 2010 theme 'Poverty & Social Exclusion'- their specific interest is exploring the return of slums to European cities. Tate Britain's Cross Cultural Contemporary Art Team are looking at contested spaces and notions of London's East End for their event 'East is East'. TINAG's interest in both these areas is the potential to explore the psycho/social idea of 'refusing to accept one's place'.

The salon will explore how notions of poverty are constructed, the return of slums in Europe, understandings of democracy, the links between land ownership and social exclusion and the psycho/social condition of Refusing To Accept One's Place that may have motivated social and spatial reformers - past & present.

Speakers:
. Ruhana Ali, Community Organising Foundation
. David Rosenberg, teacher and guide of radical history walks in East London
. Andrea Luka Zimmerman & Lasse Johansson, Fugitive Images
. Kevin Cahill, investigative journalist and author of 'Who Own's Britain'
. Oliver Ressler, artist and filmmaker, with curator Ele Carpenter.
. Andrea Gibbons, Right to the City, JustSpace and PM Press.
. Mark Saunders, Spectacle Documentaries
. Paul Trevor, photographer 'Eastender Archive'.