The New York Times calls it “An Unseen Evil Still Ensnaring Countless Souls.” But most people don’t think about slavery in 2011. The truth is, modern slavery is alive and well. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC) in Cincinnati, Ohio set out to shed light on the collection of slavery-related issues that are as prevalent as they are problematic. Slavery today is largely invisible. So NURFC engaged Touch to create a sensitive, compelling, and scalable exhibit to help people recognize, question, and take action against modern slavery.

Our work began with discovery and research, working with the content development team at NURFC to create a taxonomy and storyline for the exhibit. The experience leads visitors through five personal and divergent stories using personas and based on the most common forms of human exploitation:

• Forced labor
• Bonded labor/indentured servitude
• Domestic servitude
• Sex trafficking
• Child slavery

We brought the personas to life in the abstract, using mixed media and photography, to strip away their humanity and commoditize the persona, and to reflect conditions that force people to make untenable choices that contribute to—and trap people in—the cycle of slavery.

The 4,000-foot exhibit explores the root causes, economics, signs of, and societal responses to modern day slavery. It provides a gritty but ultimately hopeful and empowering view of slavery in contemporary society. It is a personal, intimate, and interactive experience designed for a range of audiences and learning styles. It both challenges and empowers its audiences to recognize and end slavery: questioning retailers about product sources and labor practices, recognizing the signs of people being trafficked and connecting them with organizations doing the ground work to end slavery, slavery practices, and the conditions that lead to it.