This makes me feel Connected Empathetic Uncomfortable at an Cultural / Public scale
Society’s Cage
Society’s Cage’ art installation, a reflection on racism and violence, opens Monday in Baltimore
The installation in Baltimore was created by a team of Black architects as a response to police brutality in the United States. The goal of ‘Society’s Cage’ is to educate and build empathy by taking “something as ugly as racism and white supremacy” and creating a “beautiful experience” in order to encourage reflection and conversation. The installation consists of an outdoor 15 feet by 15 feet cube that is constructed with 500 steel bars. Visitors are meant to walk through the cube where they will see panels that offer data. People are encouraged to hold their breath for 8 min and 46 seconds-the same time that a police officer knelt on George Floyd’s neck. Schroeter said visitors are asked to record a short message to share with friends and family that includes how long they went without breathing and offers reflections on the entire experience. Messages can be shared on social media using #SocietysCage.
Contributer notes
What is surprising, refreshing, most interesting?
What I think is most refreshing is the goal of the installation, which is taking “something as ugly as racism and white supremacy” and creating a “beautiful experience” in order to encourage reflection and conversation.
Key Insights? What can we learn from this?
That education and experience can sometimes be the best way to understand certain situations. For example, visitors being encouraged to hold their breath for 8 min and 46 second and sharing on social media not only raises awareness but also helps people understand what George Floyd was put through.