Alejandra Lajo Ferrer
Spatial Designer
Design is everywhere, make it yours, leave your footprint.
Act to Close the Gap (2023) Barcelona
Project that showcases the gender pay gap through a giant purple bubble that speaks and blocks the way.
This project presents an awareness project about the gender pay gap through a symbolic representation: a giant purple bubble strategically located in various spots at university. The bubble, equipped with a loudspeaker, personifies the problem, generating visibility and reflection on the salary disparity between genders. This creative approach seeks to stimulate dialogue and collective awareness about a deep-rooted injustice in our society.
“Gender pay gap levels vary significantly across EU. For the economy as a whole, in 2021, women’s gross hourly earnings were on average 12.7 % below those of men in the European Union (EU) and 13.6 % in the euro area. Across EU Member States, the gender pay gap varied by 20.7 percentage points, ranging from -0.2 % in Luxembourg to 20.5 % in Estonia (Figure 1).” (Eurostat, 2023)
According to the National Institute of Statistics in Spain, by type of workday, the average hourly earnings for full-time work was 17,35 euros, whilst for part-time work it was 11,59 euros. Workers with an indefinite contract had an average annual salary of 27,228.80 euros. For those with a fixed-term contract it was 19,842.69 euros.
In Spain now, women earn 8,5% less than men per hour. This is the same as 9 minutes per hour where women’s work is not being valued equally to men’s.
(Figure 1).
In Spain now, women earn 8,5% less than men per hour. This is the same as 9 minutes per hour where women’s work is not being valued equally to men’s.
(Figure 1).
Our posters through univeristy to gather women. The gender pay gap is a reality that persists in every workplace, even in academic environments where equality and recognition of merit are assumed. To address this problem, we devised an awareness project, although the beginning was not easy.
Our first method was to gather women in a specific place, at a specific time, through posters and brochures. However, unfortunately, this strategy did not achieve the desired impact. The reality is that people don't pay much attention to the signs; These were not disruptive enough to break the habits rooted in everyday life.
We calculated that the average pay gap per our between men and women in Spain is 8,5%. This is 9 minutes that women’s work is not as valued as men’s.
Gum was our trademark, and we also thought it was a representation of time passing by, a passive symbol of doing nothing. This is why we wanted to gather women for 9 minutes, and make them chew gum all together, as we should not be working for 9 minutes per hour, because we are not getting paid for our time.
We tried to gather people by creating posters and putting them all over our university, with the location, the terrace, and the date and time.
The images above are evidence of our ‘movement’. However, it did not go as planned.
Our first method was to gather women in a specific place, at a specific time, through posters and brochures. However, unfortunately, this strategy did not achieve the desired impact. The reality is that people don't pay much attention to the signs; These were not disruptive enough to break the habits rooted in everyday life.
We calculated that the average pay gap per our between men and women in Spain is 8,5%. This is 9 minutes that women’s work is not as valued as men’s.
Gum was our trademark, and we also thought it was a representation of time passing by, a passive symbol of doing nothing. This is why we wanted to gather women for 9 minutes, and make them chew gum all together, as we should not be working for 9 minutes per hour, because we are not getting paid for our time.
We tried to gather people by creating posters and putting them all over our university, with the location, the terrace, and the date and time.
The images above are evidence of our ‘movement’. However, it did not go as planned.
Axonometry drawing of the terrace, and our planned dynamics for the day of the movement. To commemorate our first initiative and reflect on the response obtained, we have made a giant poster on one of the main walls of Elisava (underneath). This striking installation features photographs of a large group of girls who responded to our initial call. However, in a symbolic gesture of reality, only 15 out of 100 women who probably saw our posters carry a
bubblegum bubble in the image, as these are the only ones that joined our reunion.
This poster is not only a commemoration, but also a visual criticism of the lack of active participation in the cause. The 15 bubble gum bubbles highlight the small number of women who took the initiative to raise their voices and be a visible part in the fight against wage disparity.
This poster is not only a commemoration, but also a visual criticism of the lack of active participation in the cause. The 15 bubble gum bubbles highlight the small number of women who took the initiative to raise their voices and be a visible part in the fight against wage disparity.
Given the failure of the first strategy, we realized that it was crucial to reinvent ourselves to achieve a deeper and more significant impact. The need to give voice to the persistent wage gap led us to rethink our awareness strategy. It was then that we conceived the idea of the giant purple bubble as a disruptive and provocative symbol that could capture attention and generate reflection more effectively.
The carefully designed giant gum ball became our tool to disrupt ingrained habits and spark awkward but necessary conversation. This
The carefully designed giant gum ball became our tool to disrupt ingrained habits and spark awkward but necessary conversation. This
time, our focus was on creating something that was impossible to ignore: a symbolic representation that would literally grow and get in the way, demanding people stop and pay attention.
The intention behind this ball was to cause a visual and auditory impact that will not only point out the pay disparity, but also raise challenging questions. Its strategic location in busy areas of the university was designed to disrupt daily habits, with the hope of finally getting people to pay attention to this long-underappreciated issue.
The intention behind this ball was to cause a visual and auditory impact that will not only point out the pay disparity, but also raise challenging questions. Its strategic location in busy areas of the university was designed to disrupt daily habits, with the hope of finally getting people to pay attention to this long-underappreciated issue.
Given the failure of the first strategy, we realized that it was crucial to reinvent ourselves to achieve a deeper and more significant impact. The need to give voice to the persistent wage gap led us to rethink our awareness strategy. It was then that we conceived the idea of the giant purple bubble as a disruptive and provocative symbol that could capture attention and generate reflection more effectively.
The carefully designed giant gum ball became our tool to disrupt ingrained habits and spark awkward but necessary conversation. This time, our focus was on creating something that was impossible to ignore: a symbolic representation that would literally grow and get in the way, demanding people stop and pay attention.
The intention behind this ball was to cause a visual and auditory impact that will not only point out the pay disparity, but also raise challenging questions. Its strategic location in busy areas of the university was designed to disrupt daily habits, with the hope of finally getting people to pay attention to this long-underappreciated issue.
Strategic positions of the bubble blocking spaces at university.
3D piece
We designed a mechanism for the ball to be able to inflate whilst having a purple light and a speaker to share the audio about the gender pay gap; the bubble’s voice. After tries and sketches, we finally designed something that made sense, and we 3D printed it.
The piece has a cilindrical tube stuck on it, with the led lights attached to it (as you will see in the
The piece has a cilindrical tube stuck on it, with the led lights attached to it (as you will see in the
pictures bellow). The piece had to be open and closed, for the air to enter, and be trapped in the ball for a bit. We did this through magnets with a cap. It also had to have a whole for the cable from lights to be able to pass through it.
Finally, we needed an air pump to inflate the bubble.
Finally, we needed an air pump to inflate the bubble.
Inserting the mini bluetooth speaker in the piece. 
Inflating the bubble ball.
Image of the inflated ball. We also created a video to better explain the concept and idea, with the help of all of the people that work at our university. A big thank you to everyone that helped us explain and represent our idea, and bring awareness to the issue.
Figure 1
