The History of the VGDA

The second prototype of the conference room of floor "i" of the Very Great Democratic Administration at the Centre d'Exposition W139 Warmoesstraat 139 (e-mail: w139@xs4all.nl) in Amsterdam from october 1st to 23rd, 1994.
In this exposition, the conference room was not only tested for its form but also for its use. The opening night a debate inside the conference room on the following question:

How to work with complexity?

An art critic, an architect, un politologist, an artist, un socio-geographer, a design critic, un colleague of the Federation Emmaüs Pays-Bas have debated this question, in the middle of a public sitting on antique furniture.

The second prototype of the conference room of the Very Great Democratic Administration is built almost entirely out of PVC tubes.

In contrast to the first prototype, the central axis is madeup of different tubes ; the base is made of a cardboard tube, with a conical-shaped foot decorated with a floor mat. The tube is painted blue. On this base rests a platter, on which is erected a plexyglass tube attached to a PVC tube. A tent made of flexible PVC, attached to the frame by strings, is suspended to the structure.

Twelve different chairs are positioned around the round table.
The entry can be found at one of the twelve sides ( here, on the right ).

At the far end, one noticed the furniture that forms "the tribune" and the first material for the "Bric a Brac", organised by Emmaüs ), that took place every sunday during the exposition. On one of these different tables in the exposition, a book with two purposes is presented: both the "livre d'or" and book on the VGDA and its floor I (i)
The smallest object in the exposition sums up the entirety of the project and offers a place for viewer's reactions.
The largest object being the conference room, is only a detail of a larger construction : the VGDA. Behind the pillar one can see the video area, where the highlights of the round table disscussion were being shown. (these extracts are not available on this site).

What good would the extracts be if they are not in English. For those who are interested in theses tapes anyways, you can order
copies in VHS (PAL) format with subtitles for only 150FF. (commandes@tgad.com)


The second prototype of the conference room of floor "i" of the Very Great Democratic Administration at the Centre d'Exposition W139 Warmoesstraat 139 (e-mail: w139@xs4all.nl) in Amsterdam from october 1st to 23rd, 1994. In this exposition, the conference room was not only tested for its form but also for its use. The opening night a debate inside the conference room on the following question: How to work with complexity? An art critic, an architect, un politologist, an artist, un socio-geographer, a design critic, un colleague of the Federation Emmaüs Pays-Bas have debated this question, in the middle of a public sitting on antique furniture.
The second prototype of the conference room of the Very Great Democratic Administration is built almost entirely out of PVC tubes. In contrast to the first prototype, the central axis is madeup of different tubes ; the base is made of a cardboard tube, with a conical-shaped foot decorated with a floor mat. The tube is painted blue. On this base rests a platter, on which is erected a plexyglass tube attached to a PVC tube. A tent made of flexible PVC, attached to the frame by strings, is suspended to the structure. Twelve different chairs are positioned around the round table. The entry can be found at one of the twelve sides ( here, on the right ). At the far end, one noticed the furniture that forms "the tribune" and the first material for the "Bric a Brac", organised by Emmaüs ), that took place every sunday during the exposition. On one of these different tables in the exposition, a book with two purposes is presented: both the "livre d'or" and book on the VGDA and its floor I (i) The smallest object in the exposition sums up the entirety of the project and offers a place for viewer's reactions. The largest object being the conference room, is only a detail of a larger construction : the VGDA. Behind the pillar one can see the video area, where the highlights of the round table disscussion were being shown. (these extracts are not available on this site). What good would the extracts be if they are not in English. For those who are interested in theses tapes anyways, you can order copies in VHS (PAL) format with subtitles for only 150FF. (commandes@tgad.com)