Anti-Stairs Club Lounge at the Vessel, 2019
Anti-Stairs Club Lounge
A response to the inaccessibility and ableism of Hudson Yards’s “Vessel”
Anti-Stairs Club Lounge [Vessel]
Description:
This iteration of Anti-Stairs Club Lounge gathered fifty disabled and non-disabled people to protest Vessel at Hudson Yards. Vessel is a building-sized, basket-like structure made of 154 interconnected stairways created by designer Thomas Heatherwick. While Vessel does have an elevator, the elevator is not an equitable means to experience the structure. From its inception, Vessel has centered the experience of climbing stairs and imagines a public without people unable, unwilling, or uninterested in climbing stairs. For more about the ableism and inaccessibility of Vessel, read Kevin Gotkin’s article in The Avery Review.
The lounge included seating, cushions, snacks, signage, and custom florescent-orange beanies worn by participants that all signed a pledge stating: As long as I live, I will not go up a single step of the Vessel.
The protest called for a permanent Anti-Stairs Club Lounge with a budget of $150 million dollars (equivalent to the production budget for Vessel).
Year: 2019
Size: Dimensions variable
Materials: Custom beanies, cushions, large-print newspapers featuring Kevin Gotkin’s article about Vessel from The Avery Review, snacks, paperwork
Photos by Maria Baranova
Description:
People are encourage to participate in Anti-Stairs Club Lounge by signing a pledge stating, “As long as I live, I will not go up a single step of the Vessel.”
Download a PDF of the pledge or email studio@shannonfinnegan.com to request a hard copy.
Year: 2019
Size: 11 x 8.5 inches
Materials: Single color risograph on colored paper
Edition: Open edition
Published by Special Collections Press, University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning.
Description:
A gallery installation of documentation of Anti-Stairs Club Lounge. New for this installation are reflections from participants that I’ve written out in my handwriting. For example, one from Jerron Herman that reads, “The concept of the lounge and relaxation was so lovingly theatricalized and was in such stark contrast to our surroundings that it elevated how crip communities could activate. With pillows and snacks!”
Year: 2020
Size: Variable
Materials: Printouts of photos, pledges, and quotes. A bench, painted cushions, and newspapers featuring Kevin Gotkin’s article about Vessel from The Avery Review.
This version was made for Rights of Way at Onomatopee Projects. A second iteration was made for #CripRitual at Doris McCarthy Gallery.
Photos by Wibke Bramesfeld