Legal Performance
Published on 01/06/2009 - Games and methodologies
Co-Learning, Games, Legal, Analogies of digital, Collective learning, Communication tools
Contributors: Constant
Aim of the exercises
These three short exercises investigate permitted behaviour in public space as specified in local laws.
Every time we act according to the law, we are contributing to its confirmation, we become 'legal bodies'; trained and instructed by a law we might or might not support. Through these exercises and the issues they touch upon, we propose to reinterpret definitions of public space, to test and stretch moral and public social boundaries.
Starting from a Free Software point of view, we feel that exchange should be built on the belief that everyone should have the freedom to use, customize, improve and redistribute resources. Could these 'resources' also include rules and regulations for public life?
The relationship between citizens and law is mutual. We sometimes have the impression that the law is forced upon us, but social evolution implies that the current regulations have to be adapted to changing expectations of civilians concerning peace, safety and public health. Therefore, participation of civil organisations and citizens in the continuous reshaping of their (legal) environment is vital.
If we perceive the city as a network of social relations, it provides us with an excellent interconnected shared and public platform on which communication tests could be executed. Sharing of knowledge is a political process. The process of 'sharing' differs from a hierarchical knowledge distribution. It doesn't just mean copying (duplicating) knowledge, it also encloses another connotation: Sharing as in:
'Sharing a cake': Splitting, dividing, breaking up in pieces and distributing over multiple persons.
Following this, the distributed nature of shared knowledge could prevent it from being 'owned' or 'controlled' by one party. Instead: the knowledge is embodied in the network of relationships between people.
Local Specificity
Before starting the exercises contact the city council, or a police headquarters, and ask for a document in which the rights and limitations of civil behaviour are described for the location in which you are executing the exercises.
These exercises are based on local law texts in which behaviour of public space is described, so every time you choose another location you should obtain a copy of the local legislation. In EU countries, these laws are more or less comparable, but to experience the local relevance of the exercises it is important to try and be as locally specific as possible. Depending on the differences in regulations, you might have to adjust the exercises.
Case Study
The recipes as written below are fed by experiences from Routes and Routines, an ongoing performative research of the Brussels based arts and media collective Constant. Images, examples and law articles mentioned originate from a two walks in the Ixelles quarter carried out by a group of Constant affiliates. As a reference document these walks have used the police regulations on public behaviour in that neighbourhood: the Reglement General de Police D'Ixelles.
If it is not possible for you to get legal documents from your local authorities, you could use these paragraphs as example material, although this is not recommended. The whole document can be found as a pdf online, in French and Dutch.
1. COLLECTIVE PRODUCTION OF PUBLIC NOISE
Goal
The aim of this exercise is to experience that public norms derive from what we find to be normal or acceptable. Norms of public behaviour are not fixed, they are flexible and can be influenced. Discuss this issue after the exercise.
Method
What is a socially acceptable level of noise an individual is allowed to produce? In police regulations concerning street noise, it is likely that you will find that the sound volume a person may produce is measured by comparing it to a 'normal' level of street noise. The question ofcourse is: what is normal.
These three short exercises investigate permitted behaviour in public space as specified in local laws.
Every time we act according to the law, we are contributing to its confirmation, we become 'legal bodies'; trained and instructed by a law we might or might not support. Through these exercises and the issues they touch upon, we propose to reinterpret definitions of public space, to test and stretch moral and public social boundaries.
Starting from a Free Software point of view, we feel that exchange should be built on the belief that everyone should have the freedom to use, customize, improve and redistribute resources. Could these 'resources' also include rules and regulations for public life?
The relationship between citizens and law is mutual. We sometimes have the impression that the law is forced upon us, but social evolution implies that the current regulations have to be adapted to changing expectations of civilians concerning peace, safety and public health. Therefore, participation of civil organisations and citizens in the continuous reshaping of their (legal) environment is vital.
If we perceive the city as a network of social relations, it provides us with an excellent interconnected shared and public platform on which communication tests could be executed. Sharing of knowledge is a political process. The process of 'sharing' differs from a hierarchical knowledge distribution. It doesn't just mean copying (duplicating) knowledge, it also encloses another connotation: Sharing as in:
'Sharing a cake': Splitting, dividing, breaking up in pieces and distributing over multiple persons.
Following this, the distributed nature of shared knowledge could prevent it from being 'owned' or 'controlled' by one party. Instead: the knowledge is embodied in the network of relationships between people.
Local Specificity
Before starting the exercises contact the city council, or a police headquarters, and ask for a document in which the rights and limitations of civil behaviour are described for the location in which you are executing the exercises.
These exercises are based on local law texts in which behaviour of public space is described, so every time you choose another location you should obtain a copy of the local legislation. In EU countries, these laws are more or less comparable, but to experience the local relevance of the exercises it is important to try and be as locally specific as possible. Depending on the differences in regulations, you might have to adjust the exercises.
Case Study
The recipes as written below are fed by experiences from Routes and Routines, an ongoing performative research of the Brussels based arts and media collective Constant. Images, examples and law articles mentioned originate from a two walks in the Ixelles quarter carried out by a group of Constant affiliates. As a reference document these walks have used the police regulations on public behaviour in that neighbourhood: the Reglement General de Police D'Ixelles.
If it is not possible for you to get legal documents from your local authorities, you could use these paragraphs as example material, although this is not recommended. The whole document can be found as a pdf online, in French and Dutch.
1. COLLECTIVE PRODUCTION OF PUBLIC NOISE
Goal
The aim of this exercise is to experience that public norms derive from what we find to be normal or acceptable. Norms of public behaviour are not fixed, they are flexible and can be influenced. Discuss this issue after the exercise.
Method
What is a socially acceptable level of noise an individual is allowed to produce? In police regulations concerning street noise, it is likely that you will find that the sound volume a person may produce is measured by comparing it to a 'normal' level of street noise. The question ofcourse is: what is normal.
