THE SIX FOOT PLATFORM
AN EXPERIMENTAL ART + PERFORMANCE PROGRAM PRESENTING BROOKLYN-BASED ARTISTS
ON A 6X6 PLATFORM
ON WASHINGTON STREET (@WATER ST.) –BROOKLYN’S MOST PHOTOGRAPHED BLOCK.
SUMMER SATURDAYS | 1-8PM

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AUGUST 27
A SEAT AT THE TABLE
HONG WU
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“A Seat At The Table” is an installation composed of seatless chairs protruding a patchwork “table” incorporating American Immigration Council data to interrogate immigrants’ struggles and prospects of representation, aka “having a seat at the table”.
For longer than it should have been, immigrants are glorified as the backbone of America while their impacts and achievements are severely under-represented and undervalued. This installation is a portal to the day-to-day positive and negative visceral and emotional tensions between an immigrant and the society. My immediate connection to this concept is the the original photo commemorating the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869. Despite the contributions of Chinese laborers, not even one was included in this historic document.
The “table”, a physical object and a metaphorical governing structure, similar to the idea of the glass ceiling, exists in every shape and form that was designed to keep immigrants out of the decision making process. Seatless chairs in multiple shape, form, styles in various compositions underscore the collective contributions brought to America by immigrants while displaying the raw reality of limited access. The chairs will be “interacting” with the “table” through various angles and placements to exhibit tension and harmony.
The installation is a tool to inform and remind immigrant communities that however insignificant our day-to-day contributions seem, they build up to a tidal wave that pushes our country forward. Our efforts deserve renewed recognition and celebration. The long term goal of this installation is to encourage and invite immigrant families to explore their own paths and opportunities to demand “a seat at the table”, and enjoy Immigrant Pride to the fullest.
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Hong Wu (She/Her/Hers) moved to NYC with her family in 1997 from Guangzhou, China. After a long career in men’s fashion design, in 2020, she decided to commit to her artistic practice, with an emphasis on sustainability and advocacy. Hong’s work interrogates the social discourses rooted in Imperialism, Colonialism, Capitalism, and their relationships with recent social movements; more importantly, inspires collective creative solutions to make our world more just and green.. She also aims to promote immigrant joy and representation, and to spark conversations among young children from immigrant families on engaging in promoting civic rights and responsibilities.
Primarily working with recycled materials and found objects, Hong often incorporates public interactive components in her works. She was part of the VOTE Project commissioned by NYLA during the 2020 Presidential Election. BWAC showed her “White Weave Chair” in the “Recycle” Group Show in June 2021. In Dec 2021, she won the community-building Upcycled Holiday Tree competition organized by Flatbush Nostrand Junction BID.
She currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
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PRESENTED BY THE DUMBO IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BROOKLYN ARTS COUNCIL.