DEMOCRACY=HOMEWORK

I'm really excited that a writing/book class at the Corcoran College of Art & Design is using The New Manifesto of the NewLights Press and the recent "Democratic Multiple" posts on this blog. The professor, Casey Smith, asked me to write a question for a 15 minute free writing exercise for the students, on the theme of the "democratic multiple." And what's more democratic than a school assignment?

So here they are, answer one or more. You have 15 minutes. When complete, please post your writing to the comments section.

What are the qualities of the multiple that allow for its possibility of being "democratic?"

What is the relationship between fine art and functionality? How does the idea of the "democratic multiple" complicate, change, and/or enrich that relationship?

What are the particular qualities of books and a reader/viewer's interaction with them that allow for an exploration of the "democratic multiple?" Of functionality and art?