Troubled Paths

The idea behind this stool is based upon the “troubled paths” that people of color had to walk each day throughout the Civil Rights Era. From our previous research, we have learned that participation in almost all public settings came with a certain level of discomfort for African American people. Tasks as simple as getting on the bus in the morning to go to work or to get groceries meant facing discrimination and unfair treatment from Caucasian people. If a person of color was lucky enough to get a seat, they were forced to the back rows and likely ridiculed or stared at uncomfortably on their way back. Though this is just one example of the difficult interactions that people of color faced daily during this period, it is certain that a regular and peaceful life was challenging to lead. 

These struggles were incorporated into the physical design of the stool as a complex and intersecting bracing system, with struts connecting each leg to a center support made from a different type of wood. This unique and interesting bracing system symbolizes the human experience for people of color during the Civil Rights Era the obstructed “paths” these people were forced to walk. Each leg represents the different places that each person comes from, while the center leg represents the obstruction that they face. A more heavily-grained wood material was selected to contribute to the concepts of intersecting and convoluted paths, adding a roughness or sense of hardship to the design of the stool. Overall, the goal of the design was to physically represent the physical and emotional barriers that people of color had to overcome through complex design and intentional choice of materials.