Benaki Museum presents Parliament, a work by choreographer and visual artist Michael Kliën (AT/US, 1973). Over the course of seven weeks, Parliament will transform the Museum and other collaborating institutions into a living organism – a network of relationships that transcends dominant structures of power and hierarchy.

Parliament is a milestone in the emerging creative field of “social choreography”. It began as a Benaki Museum installation in 2013 and will be presented this year for the first time as a full-scale exhibition on the ground floor of 138 Piraeus Street.

For seven weeks, in June and July 2025, the Benaki Museum will be transformed into an open social space and invites the active participation of more than 300 citizens to co-design the Parliament project in the building at 138 Pireos Street. Each day, Parliament participants will come together to weave a choreography of relationships, and over time, these connections will evolve into a dense mosaic of collective thought and action.

Parliament is an experiment in democracy beyond language. It challenges participants to confront the unknown and engage deeply with others, allowing genuine connections to emerge. It is not a performance that one watches as a spectator, but a living organism that asks us to inhabit within it. It is an experience that demands our presence – a call to action for all who dare to dream of a world created from scratch.

So we invite you to come to Benaki, to enter Parliament, to share the space of the Museum, to activate your body, your senses and your relationships with the people around you to experience a unique experience of coexistence, interaction and exchange.

Parliament is open to everyone’s participation. It is democratic. It is inclusive and empathetic. It invites you and needs you.

Terms:

Participation is free of charge. Participants are over 18 years old. You can return more than once

Choose your preferred day and we will send you all the details to prepare. A minimum four-hour session is required for formal participation.

*Parliament works most effectively in long engagement and therefore a 4-hour session is recommended. However, if a 4-hour commitment is not feasible you can let us know so that we can find an alternative way to introduce less time.

For questions or more information, contact: [email protected]