Making the booth private
Following my tutorial with Betty, it’s clear the participation experience needs to be unmediated. If someone sees 15 completed responses before doing the exercise it sets a benchmark and can influence what they notice. Plus, I’d like to create an environment that will enable deeper enquiry.
With this in mind, the updated A-frame will have two distinct sides:
Side 1: Displays the question “How many thoughts do you have in 1 minute?” and pre-completed responses for people passing by.
Side 2: Becomes a private booth – with MDF and/or fabric curtain partitions creating a simple enclosure. You step in, pick up a counter, do the exercise, fill in the form, and post it into a deposit box. Entering from this side, you don’t see anyone else’s responses before your own experience.
My initial sketches reminded me of noren – the traditional fabric curtains hung at the entrance to Japanese shops and restaurants. I love their simplicity and the way bold graphic text on soft fabric invites you through.
Photos I took using Canon AE-1 film camera. Kyoto, Japan. May 2025
This gave me the idea of printing “THOUGHT COUNTER” on the fabric itself to invite the viewer in. It’s an entry point and branding at the same time.
The privacy changes the dynamic. It’s no longer a public performance, it’s a personal encounter and that shift alone might be enough to invite a deeper enquiry. And if there’s a queue, the not-knowing-what’s-inside only adds to the intrigue.
The build
This morning I visited a carpentry and joinery expert in Dalston to get their advice on how to achieve the private ‘booth’ structure.
His recommendation was to create a simple wooden frame that would extend out from the A-frame providing support for the fabric curtains which would drape down from 3 sides creating the enclosure.
The quote was less than £50 for all the material and screws. The challenge is that right now I don’t know the degree of the A-frame angle which makes it impossible to know the exact measurements for the frame.
The fabric
I then visited Dalston Mill Fabrics to look for material for the curtains. I was originally looking for a black, sturdy material. But realised that might create a very dark enclosed space. Therefore, white or off-white might be a better solution.
The Highfield 100% cotton drill is £10 p/sq/m and I’d probably need 3-4m of it. This would be easy to screen print onto if I can find a printer who can do the job in time for the Thursday launch.
Next steps
I need to find out the angle of the A-frame to get exact measurements for the frame and material before ordering the stock. I’ll ask Jonathan and may need to go to CSM on Monday to confirm.
The sound loop
I had a new idea: I’ll ask Katie to read the long-form survey responses aloud in a steady, monotonous tone, one after another. A continuous loop of people’s thoughts about their thoughts, playing from a speaker on top of the A-frame.
It’s like the voice in your head – a monotonous stream of thoughts running on repeat all day. Most people never notice it. You hear it from the outside first, then step into the booth and experience it from the inside.
It also draws people in without visuals – something I’d been stuck on. The monotone voice sparks curiosity, and it means the responses actually go somewhere. Participants aren’t just filling in a form, they’re adding to the script. The audio grows over the course of the show as new responses are collected.
More Japan references
I came across some other references from my visit to Japan last year – their approach to presentation, where modest materials are placed with deliberate care. It’s giving me ideas for how to present the survey responses, the deposit box, and the shelf – treating each element to create the overall environment.
Pre-show actions
Side 1 – A-frame
- Vinyl printing – print headline text for Side 1 of A-Frame (Puck Studio)
- 5mm A5 mount-board – for displaying pre-completed responses (Argun)
Side 2 – A-frame
- Privacy booth – Advice on design/build & parts required to mount the MDF/fabric curtain (KTS)
- Curtain partition – source the fabric/material (Woolcrest or Dalston Mill)
- Screen printing – print THOUGHT COUNTER onto the fabric (TBC)
- Instructions – printed onto A5 paper and framed (TBC)
- Floor marking – vinyl cut, designating spot to stand (Puck Studio)
Other
- Audio file – record Katie reading all existing long-form responses
- Speaker – with memory card input
- Earplugs
- Pens
- Blank A5 forms
- Deposit box – to submit completed forms