In 2010, Burma held its first elections in 20 years. These elections would have been meaningless if more than 2,100 political prisoners remained locked up in Burma’s squalid prisons. Human Rights Watch created a campaign calling for the release of these innocent prisoners by utilising added pressure from the public and the United Nations.

It was the right time to put the spotlight on Burma and the plight of the prisoners languishing in Burma’s jails. Awareness of the elections in Burma was low among many people in the United States and across the globe. HRW needed to gain the attention of the media, the world leaders and the prisoners’ captors. This hinged upon the success of engaging the public in Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall. The challenge was to do this in a way that would get jaded commuters to stop, listen and take action.

In less than 12 hours, tens of thousands of signatures were collected from people of 86 countries. The installation attracted media from around the globe. The petition book was then sent to the United Nations’ Secretary General and leaders of countries that maintain close ties with Burma. Due to its success, the installation toured Prague and Brussels. Most importantly, more than 150 political prisoners have since been released, including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Meticulous creation of the installation began weeks in advance. Using photos of prisoners, the installation featured a massive mock prison with 200 miniature cells and 2,000 pens in lieu of cell bars.