Monuments denote a time in history when something important happened—a tragedy, a war. They may also commemorate a person—likely a white man—who did something “heroic.” While monuments most often look to the past, they rarely, if ever, commemorate something we are striving for, something that may happen in the future, or a world we want to create.

What if there’s a monument that holds the past, present, and future at once? This idea has battled for legitimacy for centuries, and without it, the future we desire—one without violence, one with equity, equality, and peace—cannot exist.
The Equal Rights Act (the ERA), a beacon of hope for equality, was first introduced by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman in 1923. Yet, it remains a distant dream, not yet enshrined in law. This ongoing struggle for its passage is a stark reminder of the injustices that persist.

How do we represent the past, present, and future of our equality (or current lack thereof)
I keep thinking each state is represented by a something- a brick, a rock, something heavy, only to be moved with excellent coordination of multiple hands… or something that cannot be held, something abstract like water, or something that perpetually changes shape? I want the object to represent how this is ever-changing depending on who is in office (really in state houses that haven’t ratified the ERA), the balance of men and women, republicans and Democrats…. Monuments are often static representations of the past. How do I create a space/object that activates the present to transform the future? A form of communication, a demand, along with that can be easily shared and disseminated like a women’s journal. I still like this idea.

Because it is a “temporary” monument, I’m wondering how to show the change that is needed to make it a reality- there needs to be some tool that allows people to call representatives offices and demand that it get passed- because those people who have yet to pass this in the state houses of NC, SC, LA, AL, MO, AR, UT, OK, AR, GA, MI, FL are actually infringing on the rights of women and non-binary people ALL OVER the country.

So what does it look like—a brick wall made of bricks representing all 50 states? The bricks of the 12 states listed above block a perceived doorway that has not yet been passed in their state houses. Just as we cannot yet pass through the threshold of equality…. this doorway is imaginable; one can see it can understand that it exists but is still not accessible.
Is it a series of hourglasses? An obvious representation of the “idealized” female form, one that has been shaped by men’s preferences, expectations, and manipulations? How long do they run for? How are they flipped? Are they stacked? In a line? What does the sense of time relay to the viewer? Is there a way for the sand to be pulled upwards instead of down with gravity? I'm not sure why that’s interesting, but it's an inversion of sorts, perhaps.

There is also something called a water clock- it is the oldest tool for measuring time- originally called a clepsydra. Water is obviously also a reference to women, tidal, lunar, life-giving.