BASIC/DEPT® and Google create digital symbols of solidarity for the Stonewall Visitor Center

The Stonewall uprising took place on June 28, 1969, which created what we know today as the Pride March. What began as a question mark in the community became an exclamation point for equal rights and to live authentically without fear. The Stonewall Inn is a well-known LGBTQ+ landmark around the world that both honors the legacy and shows the progress of the community’s fight towards equality and discrimination. How can this space continue to help push forward the movement through education, love, and care?

Through a wall of photographic prints, digital screens, and mirrors that create floor-to-ceiling collages, the community can browse images and stories of Stonewall history as they capture the state of the movement. The brief to BASIC/DEPT® was to combine past, present, and future through different mediums, in a way that creates a striking visual symbol of solidarity that pulls visitors in and invites the world to stand together at Stonewall once again. Mirrors in the wall represent an opportunity for viewers to visualize themselves symbolically “standing together” symbolizing solidarity, support, and progress.

“This project holds a special place in my heart because we can see the triumphs, the strength, the vulnerability, and the unapologetic queer joy that we all possess in our community. This wall symbolizes solidarity—it honors the past to acknowledge the present and hope for the future. Stonewall represents what can happen when a community comes together and shows up for one another— we create a movement. I hope this project can educate and inspire us to continue the fight for equality for all because we all deserve love.” said Paul Capili, Creative Director and head of DEI, BASIC/DEPT®.

Throughout the installation, sound and motion from the Ballroom trailer and stills from the Google Arts & Culture Ballroom at Chelsea activation will be featured.