Peace Sofas is a campaign by the European Network for Nonviolence and Dialogue to inspire people to talk together. We found pairs of people with opposing opinions, cut their sofas in half, merged them together, and sat them down to talk.

In our hyper-polarized society, talking to people with different viewpoints is one of the most important things an individual can do. Join us in commiting to make our communities less polarized by signing the pledge.

Peace Sofas is on display at the MuseumsQuartier in Vienna from JUNE 21 – JUNE 27

About the MQ exhibition

The exhibition will be open to the public at different locations around MuseumsQuartier Wien. From June 21 to June 27, visitors have a chance to sit down and listen to the conversations that happened on the sofas. The sofas will also be for sale afterward. All of the proceeds go to support the continuation of ENND as a network striving to decrease polarization throughout central and eastern Europe with trainings, conferences, and exchange of good practices.

“Extremism has increased rapidly over last few years. Social media and fake news have polarized our communities. People don’t listen to each other anymore,” explained Lukáš Zorád, Program Coordinator at PDCS, adding: “These days, we can see, for example, in the tragic deadly attack on a Filipino immigrant, Henry John Serafica Acorda. This kind of hate and mistrust is what we are trying to change.”

“The sofa is a great place to create a dialogue between people with contradictory opinions. It’s a perfect symbol. Sitting on a sofa makes us feel like we’re sitting in the safety of our homes, rather than on a debate stage,” says Dr. Christian Strasser, MBA, director of MuseumsQuartier Wien.

The exhibition is a part of the European Network for Non-violence and Dialogue (ENND) program.