meytal cohen architecturally explores women's value in society

designer meytal cohen takes us on a contemplative journey about what it’s like being a woman in her series titled ‘gushpanka:the power of words’. ‘we are categorized since birth. blue is for boys. pink is for girls. subconsciously, our brain reduces the amount of information, to the minimum needed for us to grasp the world. it works similarly in the case of a society. […] we classify people on the basis of their traits, as it becomes quicker and easier for us to remember and understand them. in today ’s world, the categorization divides us on the basis of our gender, religion, colour […]. it is not in our hands, but in the hands of the society to decide where we belong. this project is about the relations between stereotypes, design and myself’, reveals cohen. 

phase no.2 – tomboy

all: blondes are dumb
girls with short hair are lesbians
girls don’t enjoy playing video games
red heads are sluts
women don’t know anything about sports
women are crazy during their PMS
women don’t like cursing
women aren’t handy with tools
women are phenomenal cooks
women are responsible for raising children
women don’t fart
women are never in charge
women are passive and submissive
women are bad drivers
women only love to spend other people’s money
women only want successful, rich men
women are obsessed with their looks
women are dependent
women cry a lot 

phase no.3 – becoming a woman

case study: what is it like being a woman?
duration: 34 years
study goal: trying to translate the stereotypes into shapes with minimal, yet needed,
gestures.
design project: a number of staircases (as the number of stereotypes).
reason: *a staircase is the strongest dialogue between a person and a space.
method: using the parameters needed to design a staircase, while considering other
factors as time, energy and proportions, in an intuitive way (as the use of stereotypes)
outcome
7 phases, 7 different staircases’ sections and paths. 

phase no.4 – rebel 

conclusions:
_during the whole process, I showed my research to a lot of people. Some
are designers and some are not. it took me a lot of time to understand
the different reactions I received. most women understood every single
aspect and detail, while most men couldn’t follow the sequence.
I noticed it is almost impossible to understand this project from a male
point of view.
_after finishing this project, I realized I have my own set of principles about
being a woman. this is my clear opinion. 

phase no.5 – lesbian

phase no.6 – object 

phase no.7 – jew

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edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom