atmospheric question
what kind of atmosphere allows people to face a truth they rarely speak aloud and decide whether to keep it or share it with others.
voicing booth was created during the 2025 humanity in action fellowship in sarajevo, bosnia & herzegovina. the cohort was divided into teams. our team focused on civic engagement in a context shaped by post conflict memory and low trust in institutions.
the intervention
building on ourstories and masa, I had hoped to work with conversation. limited time, a language barrier, and the political landscape made that unrealistic. as a group we shifted to a written format where the atmosphere carried the work.
we re imagined the voting booth as a space for emotional truth telling. visitors entered a small fabric enclosure, softly backlit so their silhouette was visible. inside they wrote one unsaid truth, then chose:
- shred it and let it go
- hang it on the wall for others to witness
europe house hosted the installation. flyers, typography, and a quiet spatial layout set a tone of care and intimacy.
atmospheric method
- written truths instead of spoken conversations, in response to time and language constraints
- a fabric booth echoing a voting booth, creating a civic frame without formal politics
- backlighting that revealed presence through silhouette while keeping identity anonymous
- a clear ritual: enter, write, choose, exit
- a room arranged for quiet witnessing, where people could read shared truths at their own pace
here the atmosphere held the work. the facilitator’s role was minimal once the conditions were in place.
what emerged
layer 1 · the experience
dozens of people stepped into the booth, wrote something they rarely say aloud, and made a conscious choice to keep it private or bring it into the room.
layer 2 · the conditions
anonymity, choice, soft light, and a civic frame without sides created enough safety for honesty.
layer 3 · the insights
many notes named generational trauma, interethnic tensions, and private fears about the future. in a context where formal civic processes are mistrusted, people still longed for spaces where their inner reality could be acknowledged. vulnerability became a form of civic engagement.
layer 4 · the next question
voicing booth showed that minimal material and a clear ritual can surface the weight of the unsaid when atmosphere, anonymity, and choice come together. it raised questions about how written and spoken disclosure might coexist in future work and how this ritual could travel to other cities and contexts.
see how this intervention evolved in Unsaid NYC.
the installation was co created by the civic engagement team in less than five days during the fellowship.
team
kirsty leech, ana paula munguia ayarzagoitia, magdalena pieńkowska, juan flores
video documentation: SO agency
