masa: walking, listening, and gathering across difference

masa responds to widespread loneliness, disconnection, and the quiet fear many feel when encountering difference. it asks whether designed atmospheres can temporarily interrupt isolation and help people meet each other with honesty and curiosity across identities.

it continues a lineage of earlier work, including OurStories, where listening revealed the emotional realities shaping how people move through daily life.

listen to the Seattle conversations below:

atmospheric question

what allows strangers to meet with honesty, courage, and curiosity?

the intervention

masa is an ongoing inquiry into the emotional and atmospheric conditions that allow people to open, connect, and meet difference with curiosity rather than fear.

when OurStories moved to Seattle, it evolved into masa. a layer of co-design was integrated, inviting participants to shape what a gathering across difference would require. their insights defined everything: the tone, rhythm, pacing, and conditions for safety and risk.

this process led to a two-part methodology:

• The Walk — a one-on-one encounter shaped by listening and movement.
• The Gathering — a collective moment where participants returned to meet others across difference.

how I worked

listening as method. walking as a perceptual tool. co-design as trust-building. atmosphere as a way to understand what people need in order to open.

what emerged

a shared experience grounded in vulnerability, presence, and slow attention. masa showed how atmosphere, story, and human encounter can temporarily interrupt social isolation and create spaces where people feel more connected to themselves and to one another.

participant reflections

“The whole moment stood out because of the sense of safety yet vulnerability I felt the entire time. Coming together over a meal and drinks to just be real with each other — that felt really good to me.”

“It meant a lot to share a table with people who were eager to share about themselves and to inquire into my life.”

“It was amazing and eye-opening to see the things that can happen when we let our guard down and immerse ourselves in what truly was an extremely safe space.”

credits

graphic design direction + qualitative research coding support: tewelde abraha — developed the visual identity and supported the translation of emotional insights into a coherent graphic system. www.masa.com

the masa method

the masa method showcases a simple, powerful way to bring people together across their differences and out of isolation. it is based on more than 40 hours of recorded conversations, and with the help of 24 strangers across two different cities.

masa curates intentional physical forums and invites individuals to step outside of their comfort zone through a two-phase experience:

• phase I — the walk: participants meet one-on-one with a masa team member to practice presence, vulnerability, and curiosity alongside a stranger.
• phase II — the gathering: participants return, this time as a group, to deepen their collective experience and explore community.

the work is rooted in five guiding principles:

• presence — no phones, no technology.
• curiosity — no judgment.
• vulnerability — respect boundaries.
• deep listening — masa is not a space to persuade.
• anonymity — conversations stay at masa.

individuals must commit to these guiding principles to participate. loneliness is acknowledged, trust is built, and difference becomes a source of connection rather than division.

methodology

• listening as method — stories emerge at their own pace.
• walking as perception — movement softens defenses and opens reflection.
• co-design — participants shape the conditions for the gathering.
• atmosphere — tone, light, pacing, and spatial cues create safety.
• archiving — stories and insights form a growing oral-history record.

this process spans Pittsburgh and Seattle, forming a cross-cultural archive that informs subsequent interventions.

recruitment and tools

flyers placed on community boards, cafés, and public spaces did not generate participation.

the approach shifted to online recruitment through reddit, which aligned with Seattle’s tech-driven culture and produced stronger engagement.

calendly was used to automate meetup logistics, integrating tech-based tools to match the context.

adjusting the format

unlike Pittsburgh, where walking was central, Seattle participants often preferred seated conversations.

some had physical limitations or simply wanted a slower, more reflective dialogue.

settings varied from cafés to parks to indoor community spaces, depending on participants’ comfort.

research practice

• conversations were audio recorded with permission.
• audio conversations were transcribed using otter.ai.
• affinity mapping was created using Mural, mapping themes, emotional needs, backgrounds, and beliefs; directly informing the design decisions for the gathering.
• identities remained anonymous throughout the process.
• participants chose the location that felt safest and most familiar.
• the structure remained listening-led, with participants speaking most of the time.

participation

in the span of two months, eleven people joined voluntarily, without incentives.

their willingness to participate reflects the city’s unmet need for connection.

why iterate in Seattle

one-on-one conversations had proven to be the foundation of trust.

repeating the process in a new cultural context allowed the project to include a second layer: inviting participants to co-design what coming together across difference might look like in Seattle.