Building on the critically acclaimed Corridors of Power project, Frames of Power is a pioneering & unique web platform for citizens to visually model & compare perceptions of constitutional power. Democratic by design, Frames of Power helps expose & explore perceptions of political power, from acceptance to resistance.
Conceived & produced by Sanjana Hattotuwa, the Founding Editor of Groundviews and Senior Researcher at the Centre for Policy Alternatives, Frames of Power is a collaboration involving constitutional theorist Asanga Welikala & architect Channa Daswatte, both widely renowned in their respective fields of practice.
See www.framesofpower.org for more for details & to participate in the modelling.
A series of four talks will serve to launch the Frames of Power platform, on 19 and 20 February at the ICES auditorium, from 5.30 – 7.00pm. The talks are free and open to the public, though with limited seating.
On 19 February, the keynote presentation by Hon. M.A. Sumanthiran MP PC will explore the prospects of citizen-led constitutional reform juxtaposed against renewed interest in hyper-presidentialism & centralisation of political authority. Respondent Bhavani Fonseka will interrogate, accessing over 15 years of committed legal activism, links between constitutional power, subjugation of citizens & Sri Lanka’s liberal-democratic potential over next 5-10 years.
On 20 February, the keynote presentation by Channa Daswatte (one of the collaborators in the Frames of Power project) will explore the intersection of architecture, design & the role, if any, of architects in both communicating and critiquing political power through spatial design. Respondent Iromi Perera, using her significant experience of working with diverse communities displaced by insensitive urban development led by intransigent technocrats, will outline the real world impact of unbridled political authority.
Download PDF of the posters for the talks here.
