Design instead of weapons: this is how the revolution was made in Chile

Barcelona"In the exhibition we did not want to talk about the pain of the dictatorship, but rather about a unique moment in which there was hope to change the world," says Pedro Ignacio Alonso, who, along with Eden Medina and Hugo Palmarola, curated How to Design a Revolution: The Chilean Way to Design, which can be visited at the Disseny Hub Barcelona until November 16. The exhibition opened in 2023 in Santiago de Chile during the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Pinochet's coup d'état And for now, it can only be seen in Barcelona. The only trace of Pinochet is an image of the military burning a poster that was exhibited at the 36th Venice Biennale.

Salvador Allende (1908-1973), democratically elected, didn't have much time to realize his dream of changing Chile. He was only able to remain president for three years, from 1970 to 1973, specifically on September 11th. That day, the Chilean government palace was bombed, with the president and his collaborators inside. They also attacked the home of Allende's family, and throughout the country, they persecuted and arrested the leaders of all organizations close to the democratic government. Pinochet established the dictatorship and destroyed Allende's entire legacy, and Allende died that same day. One of the pieces on display are reproductions of the posters used to combat fascism. They were part of an exhibition that Allende was scheduled to inaugurate that day at the State Technical University, where the composer and singer Víctor Jara was waiting for him, only to be assassinated by the Chilean military three days later. The posters survived because someone hid them in an attic.

Welcoming women instead of weapons

The three curators have spent almost 25 years researching and recovering everything that was done from the design perspective. The exhibition opens with an imposing poster of a woman welcoming a group of people and displays 250 pieces of industrial and graphic design. "Normally, revolution is associated with weapons or a raised fist, but this was a collective project that placed great importance on care; it was the creation of a new man and woman, and also a new child, which is why we chose this image," Palmarola emphasizes. The exhibition is divided according to the problems it sought to address: the democratization of reading, popular music—which also had an educational function—the reduction of technological dependence, the promotion of peaceful coexistence, and the overcoming of child malnutrition.

"We obtained much of the information by interviewing the participating designers, and we reproduced many of the pieces," Alonso notes. The curators are especially proud of their reproduction of a spoon for measuring powdered milk, intended to combat the country's high rate of child malnutrition. There are also cribs, children's furniture, and toys, the Citroën Yagán (a very affordable car manufactured in Chile), and the Antó television, also designed so everyone could have one in their home. During the Allende government, a plan was made to make reading accessible to everyone. One of the first steps was to create the state-owned publishing house Quimantú, and more than 11 million copies were distributed to a population of 9 million.

There is a large futuristic room, Cybersyn, that looks like something out of a Stanley Kubrick film. 2001: A Space OdysseyIt was installed in the center of Santiago de Chile, although a few weeks before the coup d'état, Allende asked to move it to the Palacio de la Moneda. Cybersyn disappeared, but a reproduction has been made at the Disseny Hub in Barcelona. The real one didn't have buttons, but since they had been designed and, therefore, there are plans, they are in the exhibition. Visitors can sit in a chair, with the buttons and an ashtray (it was the 1970s), review data from different industries in the country that appear on the screens, and imagine making decisions and managing the economy. Catalonia was on the verge of having its own Cybersyn. During the tripartite government (2003-2010), there were plans to install one in the Palau de la Generalitat, but it never materialized. One of the activities surrounding the exhibition will be a debate between Raúl Espejo, Cybersyn's chief of operations, and Andreu Ulied, in charge of the never-executed Map Room project at the Generalitat.

"It was a moment of excitement and optimism. I don't know if it would have been possible in our time, given the environmental crisis. Back then, the future was a blank slate; everything was open. The idea was to create a few designs that would last a long time. The neoliberal system has imposed planned obsolescence."