WordPlay suggests that a blight of urban space can be identified by acts of verbal discrimination. It submits that urban “decay” is not physical but societal and can found in derisory comments by men towards feminine people.
This is a symptom of how society devalues femininity in favor of masculinity. WordPlay manifests of these ideas on the site of a parking garage which represents the archetype of the urban space of intimidation. Additionally, WordPlay employs a sculptural visualization of language in order to reveal the damaging gender biases behind society’s use of feminine language. To distinguish between masculine and feminine words, this project utilized the website “Building Without Bias” which assigns a masculine or feminine score based on how the word is used in media. WordPlay first acknowledges the negative nomenclature of femininity. These terms act as a reminder of the current devaluation of femininity. Then, while moving through the site the negative rhetoric is replaced by positive feminine language.
Amplifying this narrative is the engaging design decision to reformat these positive words into play equipment. The childhood experience is all about growth, learning, and play. As children age they too begin to learn the gender biases, stereotypes and divisions that American society promotes. WordPlay asks the adult to revisit the childhood experience of learning through play. By redesigning the typical playground structure into an education commentary on feminine language, adults can reflect and engage with the message of this project in the most hands-on way imaginable: through play….. WordPlay!
