If I Were Chancellor

With her "If I Were Chancellor" public performance, Sheryl Oring visited five German cities in August 2005 and invited people to express their feelings on the upcoming national election. Oring set up a portable "office" at flea markets, town squares, and other public sites in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich and Leipzig, asked people what they would like to say to the chancellor and typed up cards with their answers. She gave participants the choice of writing to then-Chancellor Gerhard Schroder or his challenger Angela Merkel and let them mail the cards to the candidate of their choice. 

This project was made possible by a grant from the Arthur F. Burns journalistic exchange program.

If I Were Chancellor Book

Artist Sheryl Oring hits the streets of Berlin to explore public opinion during the 2005 Chancellor election.