The Truth is a Negotiation
– representation now, in the future and in future pasts
We have this binary view of truth and fake, that something is either the first or the latter. Often truth is being backed by science and facts. A lot of other times it is made up of humans convincing each other that their view of the world is the correct one. It’s a conversation that takes place, or rather a negotiation. Surely science and facts based truths changes more rarely, but they still do.
The reasoning is not that truth doesn’t exist or shouldn’t be sought. What we need is a nuanced conversation about it and to recognize that in many cases it’s neither fixed nor based on a natural law. We need to treasure the truth as something fragile. Instead of viewing truth itself as steady and robust, let’s focus on having a robust system for talking about it. Just like with a building, the truth gets more sustainable and relevant if we’re open to it changing in the face of new findings, than seeing it as something that should stay the same forever.
Moreover, in a lot of spaces we actively need to step in and create a higher resolution truthful repersentation of the world. Both to have an accurate understanding of the present and to enable a truthful image of the future pasts.
History doesn’t write itself
In a talk at Deep Cuts #1 representation activist Lina Thomsgård (founder of Rättviseförmedlingen and Tekla Festival among other diversity initiatives) talked about how “truth” in our history books is something that is being written right now, all the time, and that it is heavily affected by choices of those in different levels of power.
When working with diversity in media, company boards, conference stages etcetera it’s often for the sake of having an equal representation of voices and perspectives now and in shaping the future.
There is an important perspective to be gained in thinking about representation and the past. History doesn’t write itself, it’s consists of deliberate choices of who to include and what stories to record. And, when you think about it, for a story to be told it has to be both happening and seen.
“80% of the experts quoted in news media are male” — Lina Thomsgård
By looking at statistics it becomes evident to everybody that the voices that get heard is not a very good representation of perspectives held by all humans. Starting in New York in 1985 the activist group Guerrilla Girls with similar clarity showed how skewed the art scene is.
Some years back artists Ditte Ejlerskov & EvaMarie Lindahl did a piece on the imbalance in art book publisher Tashen’s Basic Art Series. Just like Rättviseförmedling, she didn’t just point to the statistics (4 out of 100 books were on women), she also proposed which 100 women artist that could be featured in the series to balance it up, complete with covers for the missing artists monographs.
Never enough, never done
At Deep Cuts #1 Lina Thomsgård went on talking about her current work with starting a museum for women’s history in Stockholm. Interestingly it’s not gonna be in one building as per usual. Rather it’s set up as a collaboration between more than 20 existing institutions across town, utilizing the power and capacity that is already there and unveiling history across the city. Also, to fit 50% of humanity’s history in one building would require a veeery big place.
“I want women to be a part of the greater picture, but on the other hand we know we lack knowledge of women in history” — Lina Thomsgård
Gender equality has been on the agenda in Sweden for many years now. Still there is a lot to do. Truthful representation of the world is always gonna be a work in progress.
As Tricia Wang said at her 2016 The Conference talk: “We need to be perspective shifting. Ask to uncover the unkown, see the greater context, identify things that are difficult to measure and ask who else do we need to invite to the table.
Further reading and watching
EVANS, CLAIRE
Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made The Internet (2018, book)
SARKEESIAN, ANITA & ADAMS, EBONY
History vs. Women: The Defiant Lives That They Don’t Want You to Know (2018, book)
THOMSGÅRD, LINA (ed)
En annan historia (2017, book)
WANG, TRICIA
Don’t Trust the Truth (2016, talk)
Deep Cuts is a series of talks on questions carried in the heads of contemporary humans. Sign up for newsletter to know about coming installments and follow on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for continuous flow of recommended reads etc.
