In the autumn of 2008, the start of the Great Recession, the economic situation in the world changed dramatically. The largest financial service companies in the United States, like Lehman Brothers disappeared in a short period of time. These were followed by major banks and the car industry. General Motors, for years the largest company in the world, filed for bankruptcy in the spring of 2009. The economic situation in the United States effected the whole world. With sales dropping by up to 40%, many corporations have been sent into a nosedive. This was the worst crisis since 1930.

 

In the spring of 2009, Jacqueline Hassink came up with the idea of revisiting The Table of Power to look at Europe’s current economic landscape. It became her main motivation to see how the economic situation had changed 15 years after she first started the project. She was interested in seeing how previously top 40 European corporations had disappeared, how boardroom design had changed, as well as how revenue and employee numbers had changed. Europe’s 40 largest corporations, according to the 2009 Fortune Global 500 list, was once again the basis for the continuation of this project. Since major banks and financial service companies had played an enormous role in the economy’s downward spiral and thus our immediate social coexistence, they were included alongside multinationals.

 

By revisiting the project, both The Table of Power and The Table of Power 2 gain another dimension. The second part extends the time axis and also becomes a document of cultural and economic change in its own right. The book resulting from the project is now available at colette.

 

Adam Bryce