The House of Doors is always looking to expand our membership and welcome new MHDs (Members of the House of Doors).

Please get in touch if you would like to find out more about our Designing Equality Workshops or are interested in the House of Doors coming to you for an immersive event, we’d love to hear from you!

Below are some highlights from our past collaborations

HOUSE OF DOORS IN FISKARS, FINLAND

In 1906, Finnish women became the first in the world to have unrestricted rights both to vote and to stand for parliament. The House of Doors was awarded a grant to travel to Finland and with the kind support of ONOMA, awarded a residency at Fiskars Village, Finland.

In collaboration with members of The Cooperative of Artisans, Designers and Artists, Finland's history of social justice was explored and a new manifestation of the House of Doors was created to investigate social equality within contemporary Finnish society.

Fiskars' historic Granary building was chosen as the site for this and it was re-worked into the House of Doors. Over 200 new MHDs were welcomed and contributions to The Book of Love & Legislation were made referencing laws in Finland, Sweden and Russia. Following the Finnish tradition of awarding medals for a wide range of achievements, visitors created their own medals to be awarded to one another upon joining the House of Doors - members received both their House of Doors membership badge and a medal in recognition of strengths including:

• the patience of a single-parent

• a commitment to creativity

• putting listening before speaking

The team behind this included sculptor Kim Simonsson, ceramicist Riitta Talonpoika, artists Lulu Halme & Ron Nordstrom, paper maker Erja Huovila, designers Heikki Aska & Yoshimasa Yamada, and sociologist Dr Oliver Bonnington. 

Welcome to all our new MHDs - kiitos!

HOUSE OF DOORS AT Galleria Sculptor, HELSINKI

Founder of the House of Doors, Kristina Clackson Bonnington was invited to give a talk and run a workshop with Finnish Sculptor Kim Simonsson at Galleria Sculptor in Helsinki, Finland. The group explored the potential for art to act as a catalyst for social change, focusing on what impact sculpture and installation has when placed in unexpected public spaces. 

HOUSE OF DOORS at CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS, UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON

Central Saint Martins' Three Dimensional Design & Architecture students worked with the House of Doors to explore gender equity through thresholds. The group studied how access to public institutions has changed since 1910 and created works exploring the relationship between social change and the built environment:

MHD LED WORKSHOP

CSM’s students then co-designed and delivered a Designing Equality Workshop at UCL. Participants came from a wide range of departments, including the Medical School, Physics Department and Public & Cultural Engagement Team. A selection of works made during the workshop can be seen below.

Thanks to everyone who made this such a brilliant event - and welcome to all our new members!

House of Doors in collaboration with UCL Equalities & Diversity Team and The Institute for Women's Health

The House of Doors was invited to work with UCL's Equalities and Diversity Team and The EGA Institute for Women's Health to create the exhibition 'Women at UCL: Presence & Absence'.

In 1878 UCL became the first university in England to admit women on equal terms with men. This exhibition explored the roles and spaces these first women occupied, and how this has changed since 1878.

Works included Theirs to Ours; a series of twelve mixed-media drawings that illuminate the institutional change that has taken place since the founding of UCL in 1826 – from the initial decision to admit women in 1878, to the re-negotiating of spaces and positions that is still taking place today. This series was accompanied by 24 photographic portraits of women working at UCL, spanning the diverse ways in which women continue to re-shape the institution and forward its development.

House of Doors at the School of Pharmacy

The School of Pharmacy invited the House of Doors to deliver a one day workshop exploring how changes in employment practice and policy have both advanced and hampered gender equality.

Working with a specialist group of staff from The School of Pharmacy's HR Department, a series of models were created that focused on the numerous challenges facing individuals as they try to navigate their way through careers and family life - from young researchers who report having to delay starting a family due to precarious employment prospects, to older women feeling penalised in a myriad of ways for not having had children.

HOUSE OF DOORS CELEBRATes INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY with the bartlett school of architecture, UCL’s medical school & central saint martins

EXPLORING GENDER EQUALITY THROUGH COLLECTIVE MAKING

The House of Doors worked with students to explore how far society has progressed towards gender equality. This one day event was an opportunity for people to come together and share their experiences and thoughts on equality - new members made models that ranged from table-top pieces to a life size, performative installation.

With thanks to Bareera Borhan, Elif Cecen, Humaydah Fabiha, Chloe Marbehant, Mabel McCabe, Gargee Naik, Decarla Phillip-Riley and Angelica Scorgie

house of doors returns to finland

The House of Doors was delighted to receive funding to return to Fiskars Village, Finland to work with this unique community of creative practitioners to develop research into the implementation and impact of The Act on Equality between Women and Men (609/1986).

The Act includes the quota provision, which applies to state-administration committees, advisory boards and other similar bodies as well as municipal bodies and inter-municipal cooperation bodies.

Members of the House of Doors (MHDs) developed responses through shared making sessions, and the first House of Doors Committee was established; its purpose being to design alternative models of co-workspaces that address recognised barriers to achieving greater gender equity.

house of doors in stockholm, sweden

In 2015 it was announced that every 16 year old would be given a copy of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 'We Should All Be Feminists'. The House of Doors travelled to Sweden and worked with 14-21 year olds to explore how this policy was received, and what impact it was felt this action had had on gender equality.