How to Create a Revolution: Chilean Path Design
September 7 in Santiago, the capital of Chile,
The unique exhibition dedicated to the design and cybernetics of the reign of President Salvador Allende was inaugurated. The exposition will be open until January.
The exhibition is organized by the joint efforts of the Papal Catholic University of Chile, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Cultural Center La Moneeda.
One of the main parts of the exposition is the reconstruction of the CyberSyn cybernetic room, which was originally planned to be installed in the government palace.
The CyberSyn project (or Synco in Spanish) was an ambitious initiative in the field of cybernetics, developed during the presidency of Salvador Allende in the early 70s.
The purpose of the project was to create a computer network to manage nationalized enterprises and resources of the country. This system was intended to optimize production, improve communication between state bodies and enterprises, as well as make management decisions more efficiently.
Despite the ambitious plans, the project was interrupted after the military coup in 1973 and was not fully implemented. Years later, the Internet emerged, completely obsoleting the need for such a communication system.
The exhibition also showcases the most iconic works of Chilean design from that time, ranging from graphic posters to innovations in the field of industry and healthcare.
Aisen Etcheverry, Chilean Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation, emphasized the significance of the Cyansyn project: “This story should be studied by everyone who is interested in technology. It opens up a discussion about the role of technology in the economic, political, and cultural development of the country.”
In the past, Andres Briseno and Thomas Vivanko, the creators of