Seat at the Table
Highlighting the current state of gender inequity in America on the centennial of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, this exhibition asks, “Where are we now?” Challenged to capture the attention of visitors without leaning on partisan cues, the experience centers around having a “seat at the table” to connect history with relevant and necessary action.
The Challenge
The American suffrage movement being marked by racial discrimination as it prioritized the vote for white women added to a long history of one marginalized group “winning” at the expense of others.
A key strategy for the Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership is building diverse coalitions, so the challenge was to inspire all audiences to be advocates for gender equity.
Project Vision
Dome created an experience around having a “seat at the table.” The form of the seat and its symbolism create multiple points of entry for visitors of different ages, genders, and abilities.
Inspired by the Kimmel Center’s surrounding theaters, the exhibition acts as an open stage, inviting visitors to become participants in each scene.
Seat at the Table Video
Photo Credit: Jens Ohlsson, Dome Collective
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts hosts the 6,000-square-foot exhibition in its public atrium. Visitors can view the entire installation from multiple balconies above.
Photo Credit: Jens Ohlsson, Dome Collective
Seven areas represent the state of women today in leadership, workforce, and voter participation. Viewers experience a grand, telegraphic view from above and a close, interactive experience on the ground.
Photo Credit: Jens Ohlsson, Dome Collective
Yellow and white, key colors of women’s suffrage, demarcate the disparity between women and men. 1 of 20 chairs represents the 5% slice of Fortune 500 CEOs who are women.
Photo Credit: Jens Ohlsson, Dome Collective
Vinyl floor graphics provide context to a dollar-shaped chaise which shows the gender income gap delineated by ethnicity.
Design & Execution
While the exhibition honors women’s suffrage and its pioneers, the purpose was to address the current, deep imbalance of decision makers in our country and engage multiple generations across the political spectrum towards civic engagement.
Dome worked closely with the Vision 2020 team to create a strategic plan for the visitor experience and the physical components that would bring stories of empowerment, disenfranchisement and intersectionality to life.
The custom- built furniture, color palette, and scale of typography takes advantage of the expansive space and elevated vantage points. As visitors move through the atrium, they encounter a series of statistics as though stepping into an analysis of the country—pie charts and bar graphs are extruded into furniture, numbers are two feet long and titles can be read from three balconies above.
At the ground level, visitors can walk through the exhibition reading content at a grand scale. They can also dwell longer on each piece for a more intimate experience that is accessible to visitors of various ages, heights and abilities. From a bird’s- eye view, visitors can see how elements of the exhibit align to the slate floor tiles like a sheet of grid paper.
All physical components, including the interactive screens, are modular and movable. In addition, the visitor journey takes advantage of the asymmetrical angles in the space and inclined floor with site- specific environmental graphics.
Photo Credit: Jens Ohlsson, Dome Collective
The invention of the bicycle advanced women’s mobility and symbolizes the past 100 years of voter turnout in the exhibit.
Photo Credit: Jens Ohlsson, Dome Collective
18 cafe tables show the proportion of women in occupations across different sectors including finance, education, government, military, healthcare, STEM, and media.
Photo Credit: Jens Ohlsson, Dome Collective
Six interactive screens feature dynamic quotes, portraits, and contributions of eighteen pioneering women since 1920. “What’s Your Vision?” polls visitors on issues that best advance gender equality in 2020.
Slideshow
Seat at the Table
The exhibition presents a current snapshot of gender inequality in the U.S. through infographic furniture. Visitors are invited to sit and embody these stark statistics at human scale.
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts hosts the 6,000-square-foot exhibition in its public atrium. Visitors can view the entire installation from multiple balconies above.
Seven areas represent the state of women today in leadership, workforce, and voter participation. Viewers experience a grand, telegraphic view from above and a close, interactive experience on the ground.
Yellow and white, key colors of women’s suffrage, demarcate the disparity between women and men. 1 of 20 chairs represents the 5% slice of Fortune 500 CEOs who are women.
Vinyl floor graphics provide context to a dollar-shaped chaise which shows the gender income gap delineated by ethnicity.
The invention of the bicycle advanced women’s mobility and symbolizes the past 100 years of voter turnout in the exhibit.
18 cafe tables show the proportion of women in occupations across different sectors including finance, education, government, military, healthcare, STEM, and media.
Six interactive screens feature dynamic quotes, portraits, and contributions of eighteen pioneering women since 1920. “What’s Your Vision?” polls visitors on issues that best advance gender equality in 2020.