On International Women’s Day 2019, my team at Cogs & Marvel staged the second edition of That Lady Thing at the iconic Phoenix Hotel in San Francisco. When we learned the hotel is owned and managed by a mostly female team, we knew it was the perfect place for the next iteration of our gender equality themed pop-up activation. This edition added new exhibits and layers of live performative content, as well. We partnered with DesignSake Studio to present a game show about The Pink Tax. We featured contortionist Dwoira Galilea trapped in a patriarchal bubble. We commissioned hand-lettered calligraphy from artist Hope Meng for a projection installation called “Getting Medieval on the Patriarchy” and hand drawn artwork for our lifesize tarot cards from Raisa Yavneh. We also teamed with the ass-kicking organizers for social justice at Malikah to stage self-defense demos. And just for good measure, we created scratch & sniff wallpaper called “Smells Like Toxic Masculinity.” And yes, it actually stinks. Just like misogyny.

You can follow the project on Instagram @thatladything_official to learn about upcoming pop-ups and partnerships.