61 Laws: All Instances of God in the U.S. Code
Eva Serrano Reisner
Christianity and democracy in the United States have had a close relationship since the country’s conception. 61 Laws presents this relationship by creating a handwritten book of all the instances of “God” in the United States Code of Laws.
The method of recording the text was inspired by medieval manuscripts that incorporate hand calligraphy on large pages with larger margins. This was done to juxtapose the time period of the relevancy of these laws with the archaic form in which they are written and to evoke a grand and powerful feeling when holding the book. The filming of the book’s production adds a performance element to the project by bringing emphasis to the number of laws written through the amount of time taken to write them. Because of the nature of the book’s creation, the setting for the book is seen in an art gallery or installation. A website was created as well in order to make the content more accessible.
Through this, 61 Laws aims to ask “how does current American democracy prevent a true way of living under one’s own morals?” The project presents these ideas without a predisposed voice. Information is power, and this book strives to use design to inform instead of offering preconceived solutions. By bringing awareness to this question, readers can choose to take action. It could mean voting in local elections, and it could mean forming activist groups to enact change for the future.