The 90 Percenters
Shivalika Tandon
The extreme poverty present in the world is shocking and many times overlooked by the privileged few. Over the years the percentage of people living under poverty may have decreased but will take almost forever to eradicate. My project, The 90 percenters, is a tool that helps spread awareness in a unique manner. The only way to truly sympathise with the under privileged is to feel what they do and hence I have created a sensory experience. The experience lasts 90-120 seconds where you step inside a box, very pretty and rich on the outside, ugly and trashy on the inside, showing us the harsh realities of the world. While inside the box, you watch a short video and follow the instructions leaving you shocked with this guilty feeling. My hope is that because of the emotions felt during the experience, participants will donate money/volunteer, thus helping the cause. There are three key parts to my project, the video that gets watched inside the box, the physical box with all the textures and lastly the supporting elements, e.g. book marks, pamphlets for extra information. All three parts work together to create this bust of emotions that I want the participants to feel.