Instant Democracy: The Pneumatic Parliament

The Pneumatic Parliament is a mobile, transparent and self-inflatable building that can be used all over the world to house parliamentary meetings. It can be transported in a compact container and within 90 minutes – plus a little more for it to be set up as a covered marketplace – it can offer space to 160 Members of Parliament. The Pneumatic Parliament therefore offers within 24-hours, plus travel time, the architectural conditions necessary for democratic processes, and as such forms a striking and futurist contribution to the worldwide distribution of Western democratic principles. The design for this futuristic fantasy of ‘democracy as an export product’ is an initiative by the Konferenz für Demokratie un Wertegemeinschaft, represented by Professor Peter Sloterdijk. A prototype was designed by GIO (Global Instant Objects), including 3D simulations, a model and a very credible brochure for the project’s commercial exploitation. This ironic installation was first presented in the thematic show Making Things Public – Atmosphëren der Demokratie, curated by Bruno Latour and Peter Weibel.