(RE)MARKING FROM THE SOUTH
(RE)MARKING FROM THE SOUTH
the South
(re)Marking from
Hello and welcome!
This practice-led design research explores the lessons of the experimental Chilean project Cybersyn and its potential to contribute to contemporary discussions on community contexts from a Latin American perspective.
socialism by design
What was Cybersyn?
Cybersyn was a short-lived, design-led experiment created to manage Chile’s nationalised industries between 1971 and 1973 under Salvador Allende’s first democratically elected government.
Fifty years ago, Cybersyn was a revolutionary experiment which combined technology, participation, design and data together, by involving workers at the centre of the decision-making processes.
Cybersyn derives from Cybernetics and Synergy. Cybernetics emphasizes understanding a system as a whole, focusing on how control, information, planning, and decision-making work together seamlessly. Synergy highlights the multiplying effect of collaboration between different elements, where working together creates greater results than individual parts.
Cybersyn Operation’s room, 1972.
Cybersyn included several sub-projects, such as Cybernet, Cyberstride and CHECO, but the Operations Room was the main focus, as it served as the nerve centre for participatory action and collaborative engagement in the decision-making process.
The Operations Room or “Opsroom”
with its hexagonal shape, was the project's symbolic core. It featured four display screens showing background information such as flow diagrams, factory photos, and production data, with two screens highlighting industrial trends and urgent issues through real-time data from factories. A large Cybernetic model was displayed, while a magnetic board with various iconic forms allowed users to manipulate components of the Chilean economy. The room's design emphasised easy-to-use interfaces, large buttons, and simplified data systems, prioritising symbols, colours, and diagrams over numbers for accessibility.
Instead of overwhelming users with raw numerical data, the design team deliberately focused on using colours, symbols and diagrammatic relationships to convey information. These design choices not only fostered a more intuitive understanding, but also revealed a different profile of participation. This approach embodied Allende's political ideals and the ‘Chilean path to socialism,’ transforming the Opsroom into a physical manifestation of his vision of a more equitable and participatory society.
hands-on workshops for
visualising data*
*In a critical and alternative way
Instead of focusing only on numbers or traditional statistics, we will expand the idea of data by using creative and visual forms, like collages and written annotation, as critical tools to raise our voices.
Challenging Western-influenced data norms, research workshops question neutrality and objectivity, valuing lived experiences, cultural narratives and local knowledge. They encompass diverse perspectives, recognising multiple forms of data beyond a single dominant framework.
Through oral histories, collective mapping techniques, critical annotations, and community storytelling with collage, this study critically (re)marks knowledge using visual forms that do not fit within conventional quantitative systems.
We will also work with historical sources, bringing past stories and ideas into today's discussions. We can use these past visions to shape new, collective ways of thinking and creating in contemporary contexts.
Reimagine. Resist. Remark.
FAQs
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This study design research challenges Western data representations, using collage and written annotation to explore data as a democratic tool. Through participatory workshops, it aims to amplify diverse voices and create alternative critical narratives.
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This research seeks Latin Americans in the UK or individuals involved in grassroots activism to collaborate, exchange insights, and use Latin American heritage to address community issues.
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In a group session, you will share perspectives on local community issues, identify key topics, and organize them for further exploration. Then, through a hands-on session using visual methods like collage or annotation, you will critically express these ideas to create alternative narratives.
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The workshop will run for about three hours.
So please reserve your morning to join us! We will also have tasty snacks and refreshments to keep you energised throughout the session.
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No prior knowledge or artistic experience is required.
The tools and activities are designed to be accessible to everyone, ensuring that all participants can engage easily without any specialised knowledge.
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Participants will learn more about the Chilean Cybersyn project, explore data collaboration and gain creative methods for visualising information from a South American perspective. They will also be able to apply past ideas to contemporary contexts by connecting with others for future community work.