Tribute is a collection of objects and narratives that proposes an extreme inversion of our current socio-political framework: Americans engage civically through their Tribute device and their actions directly affect the survival of their local policymaker. Through a series of speculative enactments with these objects, Tribute questions the nature of social change, civic engagement, and residents’ potential to subvert systemic oppression and shift the balance of power.
Lauren Williams is a designer, researcher, and writer who works with visual and interactive media to understand, critique, and reimagine the ways in which socioeconomic systems distribute power. Her work seeks to expose and unsettle power and often prioritizes engaging people through design.