The Adhocracy exhibition and symposium at the Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens is focused on the relation of design, culture, and society within a global approach, but based on the dynamics of the local art, architecture and design. Adhocracy highlights achievements by makers who are guided by the will to change the system by changing the way they make things themselves. It includes examples of makers whose work embraces open source design, and particularly emphasizes the idea of the commons in relation to production. Adhocracy Athens is the continuation of the research started for the 1^st Istanbul Design Biennial in 2012, curated by Joseph Grima and associate curators Ethel Baraona Pohl, Elian Stefa, and Pelin Tan. The Adhocracy exhibition has also been presented in New York (New Museum, 2013) and London (LimeWharf, 2013).

From Do-It-Yourself to Do-It-With-Others, from new technologies to a common ground, this exhibition brings together a group of practitioners, artist, designers, architects, and thinkers that whose work transcends the traditional ways of designing, and are actively working on the intersection of the political, social and economic field.

The exhibition is accompanied by a series of activities aimed to expand the theoretical background, the knowledge and the fun that are inherent to the concept of Adhocracy. Workshops, debates, presentations and two hackatons, are some of the formats selected to do so.

Adhocracy is a concept with a long history, initially related with business and productivity, the term has been adopted by the design field in the early 70s. Since then, it has evolved, always responding to current political, economic and social conditions. The Adhocracy publications present theoretical texts and practical examples to understand this evolution.

If Adhocracy is initially a response to bureaucracy, it’s important to highlight the open process and collaborative approach that is behind this exhibition, avoiding the contradictions normally created by closed systems. The Open Call, the curatorial selection, and the Creative Commons license that registers this exhibition are explained in deep in this chapter.

Onassis Cultural Centre is located close to Athens city center and is easily accessible from the airport by metro, bus or car.