Matt Giuliano

Barriers to Entry

Explanation: “Barriers to Entry” serves the simple purpose of providing an interactive and informative tool for people to acknowledge their privileges. By sliding away from the obstacles that the user “has the privilege to” associate with, passing through the portal becomes easier. The size and position of the obstacles reflect how much of an impact they could have overall on someone’s life, with many not directly posing issues unless other barriers are also present.

Lesson: People often assume privilege is granted whenever someone receives something they did not need to work for, but in actuality, it is more strongly someone’s ability to avoid the obstacles that society stacks against them. With this installation, users will gain a new understanding of not only what it means to have privilege but also think about their peers and what barriers they may be unfairly forced to struggle through.