Miguel Luciano’s work considers self-censorship and self-imposed silence. In this charrette, he works with students to explore one basic question: “What do you feel unable to express?” The responses to this question are translated into visual expressions: with computers and semi-automatic button making machines, the students design and produce right in the gallery their own pin back buttons. These buttons are then deposited in Lucianos installation piece, Cuando las Gallinas Mean (“When Hens Pee”), a repurposed vending machine, where they eventually find their way to unsuspecting “consumers.”

This charrette is hosted by Parsons faculty members Charles Goldman and Carlos Teixeira.

Charrette with artist and Parsons class: 9:00 a.m.-2:40 p.m. Presentation: 6:30-8:00 p.m.

At 6:30 p.m., a short film on political propaganda and election paraphernalia will be screened, followed by the official unveiling of the buttons designed by the students.

This program has been made possible, in part, by a generous grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

This event is presented as part of the Vera List Center’s program cycle on “Branding Democracy,” and is presented in conjunction with the exhibition, OURS: Democracy in the Age of Branding, on view from October 15, 2008 to February 1, 2009.