Deborah Schamoni

This iteration of Anti-Stairs Club Lounge gathered fifty disabled and non-disabled people to protest Vessel at Hudson Yards. Vessel is a building-sized, basket-like structure made of 154 interconnected stairways created by designer Thomas Heatherwick. While Vessel does have an elevator, the elevator is not an equitable means to experience the structure. From its inception, Vessel has centered the experience of climbing stairs and imagines a public without people unable, unwilling, or uninterested in climbing stairs. For more about the ableism and inaccessibility of Vessel, read Kevin Gotkin’s article in The Avery Review.

The lounge included seating, cushions, snacks, signage, and custom florescent-orange beanies worn by participants that all signed a pledge stating: “As long as I live, I will not go up a single step of the Vessel.”

The protest called for a permanent Anti-Stairs Club Lounge with a budget of $150 million dollars (equivalent to the production budget for Vessel).

Photos: Maria Baranova