a shared seat

Burnham 2017 Prize Submission
with Devin Gora
Summer 2017

Democracy depends on spirited debate with all citizens having equal voice. Beautiful spaces for discussion are required to showcase its importance in our society. While we have many such spaces already, not all are accessible to all citizens. A Shared Seat proposes to change this by creating a space with no entry requirement (no position, no fee, no degree). People of all cultures, races, nationalities, languages, abilities, and classes have an equal voice. Any barriers to involvement are removed.  The main form of circulation is through ramps. The seating platform is creating from a continuously spiralling ramp with a seat along it. Rather than a space for iconographic images, the dome is now a space to project news and video onto a screen all participants can see. A discussion curator would help participants to display their information to prove arguements or share ideas.
Disucssion is no longer limited to those with the loudest voices, but is an shared seat for all.