349 actors call the Riksdag: "Want them to suffer"

Potato potato was started in 2008 and is a theater group active in Malmö and Stockholm.

Since the start in 2008, they have tried to create new perspectives on current societal issues.

The latest in the line of works is 349 telephone calls to all of Sweden's members of parliament, which are made by an equal number of actors.

Behind the work is the artistic director Freja Hallberg, who got the idea after reading "After democracy: Arguments for a new form of governance" by the American author Jason Brennan, where he evaluates the merits of the form of governance.

She also wants to challenge the idea that elected politicians should be accessible to the people.

- What I became obsessed with is the citizen's role in a democracy, that we think it is more obvious to call a company if something is delayed than to call an elected official, even though they are the ones you should call, she tells Kulturnyheterna.

"Want them to suffer"

The monologue itself is about three minutes long and, according to Hallberg, is about how the fantasy of being a politician may not match reality.

For example, it is about how it feels to sit in long meetings every day, or to feel small in a context where you should be important.

- I was careful from the beginning that I did not want it to be political in any way.

I wanted them to be affected by art.

All members of the Riksdag are met by the same text but in a varied interpretation by the actor.

Everyone was also informed in advance about the calls and according to Hallberg the calls had already started.

Reception has varied.

- Some are completely silent while others applaud the artwork.

Instant art

The phone calls are not recorded and no one will get an overview of all calls.

But the artistic director believes that the testimonies will be what lasts.

- It is instantaneous art, and I hope that the members of parliament talk to each other about what they experienced.

What does the monologue sound like?

What is it about and what does Potato potato hope to achieve?

Freja Hallberg tells the story in the clip above.