Manifeste Medellín

To us at the Edgelands Institute, urban social contracts are an important tool that provides the necessary background to map and understand power relations in cities worldwide. Not only essential for building a community, reflecting on urban social contracts is intrinsically connected to political disputes and the use of space. How does urban technology interfere with social contracts? If there were cameras installed in your neighborhood to improve security through surveillance, would you be interested in knowing who is watching the tapes? Is it possible to ensure that digital technology will be ethical and legitimately used in order to achieve the advantages of a safe and functional city? Who is in charge of these decisions in the city of Medellín?

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Drawing inspiration from questions like these, a group of young people participated in an 8-week marathon investigating the potentials and risks of adopting technology in safety policies, for the project MEDELLÍN: TE ESTAMOS GRABANDO. The Edgelands Institute, in collaboration with Fundación Mi Sangre, facilitated the encounter of the group with experts in the field of security and technology. Resulting from the reimagination of Medellín’s social contracts, the video MANIFIESTO POR UNA AGENDA PÚBLICA Y PRIVADA PARA LA SEGURIDAD Y VIGILANCIA combines vibrant sounds with the voice of five students expressing their thoughts on the issue. With this work, the group created new perspectives and questioned the old status quo.

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