Democracy is a collective act of care

Together, we rise. Together, we fight. Together, we care.

Event at Funkhaus, Argentinierstraße 30A, 1040 Wien, Austria  – 23 May 2025

Registration form 

Overview

‘Democracy as a collective act of care’ is a complementary event to the Democratic Odyssey’s Vienna Assembly, designed to highlight the lived experiences of systemic crises through the lens of grassroots movements, collective action and contested democratic spaces.  By grounding the broader deliberations of the Assembly in real-world struggles, the event amplifies voices often pushed to the margins of institutional politics, fostering a deeper sense of urgency and care.

The event will be hosted at Funkhaus Wien, a location of profound historical resonance. As the former broadcasting center during one of Austria’s most turbulent political eras, the Funkhaus stands as a reminder of both the power and vulnerability of communication in democratic life. Once a target of insurgents during the July Putsch of 1934 and later absorbed into Nazi propaganda machinery, this space has witnessed the instrumentalization of media in times of authoritarianism. Hosting the event here is a deliberate gesture: reclaiming a space once used to suppress dissent and turning it into a site for dialogue, resistance, and reimagining democracy.

The programme from the Democratic Odyssey will feature two panels:

• Assemblies from the Margins: This conversation explores how participatory practices emerge in contexts of resistance and transformation—such as the protests in Serbia, the autonomous experiments in Rojava, or universities as spaces for assembly and dissent.
• Rethinking Participation: This panel brings together local institutions and initiatives, including the Vienna Office for Participation, the initiative advocating for voting rights for non-citizens, and representatives from the Festwochen Citizens’ Council, to reflect on how participation can be expanded, reimagined, and made more inclusive.

Event Breakdown

18:00 – 19:00
Living Together in Freedom
Lena Wilderbach – Jineolojî Center
In collaboration with Wiener Festwochen

What does love have to do with revolution? Rooted in the Kurdish women’s movement, the concept of Hevjiyana Azad—living together in freedom—offers a radical rethinking of relationships as the foundation for social transformation. This workshop invites us to imagine new relational forms as antidotes to crises of violence, exploitation, and disconnection.
More info

18:00 – 19:00
Rethinking Participation as Polycentric Engagement (Glass Room)

This panel gathers the Vienna Office for Participation, the Initiative for Voting Rights for All Residents – Pass Egal- , and the Festwochen Citizens’ Council to explore how democratic engagement can be redefined in a city where many residents are denied the vote. How do we expand the idea of who counts as a participant in democracy? How do we move from symbolic inclusion to structural change?

19:00 – 20:00
Assemblies from the Margins (Glass Room)

From protest assemblies in Serbia to autonomous governance in Rojava and activist students in European universities, this conversation brings together practices of radical democracy that emerge in contexts of exclusion and repression. What can mainstream institutions learn from these experiments? How might the margins reshape democracy itself?

20:00 – 21:30
Democratic Odyssey Civic Arts Interventions (Foyer)

Artistic expressions and performative moments will weave through the foyer, activating themes of democratic imagination and collective care. 

20:30 – 22:00
Free Tapas and Drinks (Bar)

Odyssey participants and the general public are invited to gather, snack, and toast to democracy. Vouchers provided for free tapas and drinks (upon registration)

22:00 – Late
Love is a Verb (Concert Room)
In collaboration with Wiener Festwochen

Music as resistance. Sound as care. This concert celebrates queerfeminist expression, sonic experimentation, and the transformative power of love in the face of fragmentation. From electroacoustic mappings to atmospheric vocals, it’s an invitation to feel, move, and connect.
More info