Pat Laddaphan

Monopoly of information

Department: Information Design

Museum of Alternative Truth

From time immemorial, propaganda has been the biggest mainstay in politics. From the mighty Romans to Stalin and Hitler, we have witnessed politicians successfully using tricks to extend their support. Design is an important component of such campaigns and it becomes an integral part when it is involved in manipulating the thoughts of an individual. This project researches the ‘monopoly of information’ by focusing on the Thai government’s use of propaganda. Pat Laddaphan assumes the position of an outsider as she looks at this phenomenon and analyses it from a design perspective, dissecting the propaganda into layers to reveal the hidden system. Due to the political uncertainty in Thailand at the time of research, she decided to visualise her findings through a conceptual institution called the Museum of Alternative Truth. The museum itself is propaganda. It aims to question the monopoly of information and how it affects society.