OoC | Making the Invisible Visible
A Participatory Art Project at the Pratt Institute
1. Making the Invisible Visible
Much of my work the past fifteen years has focused on making the invisible visible. Whether that means bringing into focus systems that oppress us; shedding light on our collective blindspots; or uncovering our own hidden triggers.
This may sound like confronting work. But making the invisible visible at the community level is—in my experience—a joyful process, one that deepens our appreciation for our collective wisdom.
Last week I was honored to facilitate a workshop for sixty junior design students and faculty at the Pratt Institute. In the week leading up to the workshop, we created an interactive experience called—you guessed it—Making the Invisible Visible.
The installation uses Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs" as a framework to bring to light the range of human experiences present inside a community, yet so often hidden from view.
The Pratt design community was invited to participate by placing colored stickers on panels representing each level of Maslow's hierarchy. For each question, participants would place their sticker on either the "Yes" or "No" side of the matrix, positioning it higher (near "High Intensity") if they felt strongly about their answer or lower (near "Low Intensity") if the experience carried less personal significance.
The final result was a powerful visual representation of the diverse human experiences within the Pratt design community. That while most people had never had to ration food, a few had and it had been a high-intensity experience for them. While most people didn't feel like they had to hide parts of themselves to be accepted, a few did, and this carried significant emotional weight for them.
Importantly, by using dot stickers and in turn being an anonymous process, it brought these experiences to light without spotlighting any individual, or undercutting anyone's sense of belonging or psychological safety.
I found myself concerned for certain dots, alone in the upper left hand corner of the matrix. It was a potent reminder that some people—even inside relatively privileged communities—are not walking as lightly and easefully as others. That in fact, for some of us the world is a radically different place.
Here are the results, below.
Physiological Needs
Safety Needs
Love and Belonging
Esteem Needs
Self Actualization
2. Non-Binary
After I'd created the initial design with a simple Yes/No framework, Adrien Allred, a designer on the DEI Coalition, called to offer some thoughtful feedback.
"It's wonderful," he said. "I love the questions, I think they'll provoke a thoughtful response from our students. AND…"
Oh no I thought, sensing that his and was actually a but.
"…my observation is that it's not generally helpful when things are presented as a binary. Yes/No."
Oh yeah… I thought dumbfounded. Duh. I might have hit my forehead lightly with the heel of my palm. Then out loud I said with astute professionalism, "Oh my God. Yeah. Totally."
"I'm wondering how we can reimagine it as a scale. Or even add an extra axis so people's experiences can be registered in a field."
"Omg, we have to do that," I replied continuing my professional tone. "I mean, I wrote a newsletter about the limitations of binaries just the other week!"
But like all great pieces of wisdom: sometimes we remember, sometimes we forget.
Some areas of our life are imbued with said wisdom, and some areas of life we are blind to how said wisdom even applies.
The next morning in an act of collaborative generosity, Adrien not only helped me redesign the panels into a two-axis matrix but spent a couple of hours helping me layout the new designs themselves. Together we went over every question, editing and fine-tuning them.
Most importantly, we brainstormed what the second axis could be. We considered time, but that felt too clunky—after all, something that happened years ago, especially something experienced as trauma, could be vividly present for someone today. After a brainstorm, we finally struck on "intensity"—low to high—which spoke to the significance and emotional weight someone's answer might carry.
Strictly speaking, yes, I have been worried about getting enough food. But the reason was adventure, not trauma. I was 23 years old and and had travelled for a day on windy roads in India to reach a mountain town, only to discover they had no ATMs, and that I was very low on cash. I had to save what little I had for the bus fare the next day. This was very uncomfortable at the time, I was hungry, but overall a very low-intensity experience in terms of the scope of my life. So I placed a dot slightly on the yes side of the line, and down towards the bottom at low intensity.
Thank you Adrien Allred for your collaboration, and your incredible human capacity to hold multiple truths at once.
3. Make The Invisible Visible for Your Community
If you would like to download the digital files of the installation for your own community, its available just below the paywall.
Of course, if you would like me to help you deliver the installation (and perhaps even the accompanying workshop), I’d love that. Just hit reply to this email and we can set up a time to chat.
4. Archive
The early formulation of this installation was conceived in collaboration with the wise and courageous-hearted participants at Young New Yorkers, an arts-based alternative to incarceration, during my tenure as Executive Director. It was first realized in the Eastern District Court in Brooklyn, New York. Here are some photos of that extraordinary event.
Objects of Civility
This project is supported in part by the 2024 Independent Projects grant program, a partnership of the New York State Council on the Arts and The Architectural League of New York.
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Here is the link to the panels for Making the Invisible Visible. Please feel free to use them however you like, and to reach out with any questions. (If you hit reply to this email, it comes directly to my inbox.)