Nico Carpentier explores the meanings and contested spaces of democracy in the film essay "Agon"

Nico Carpentier, member of Magazine Media Research Network (MagNet), has co-authored a film essay titled "Agon: Constructions of Democracy." Created alongside Ali Minanto and Jhon Sany Purwanto, the 26-minute film serves as a scholarly yet artistic inquiry into the meaning of democracy and the constant political struggles required to sustain it.

The film essay functions as an experimental bridge between academic theory and artistic practice. Inspired by the book Democracy and Media in Europe by Carpentier and Jeffrey Wimmer, the film combines the aesthetics of the Czech capital Prague with an intercultural dialogue with the Indonesian community (and other communities) living in this city, thus opening up further spaces for democratic inquiry.

The film essay is available in open access at http://www.constructionsofdemocracy.eu