Roots of Trust
Rachel Botsman
Artefact
The first-ever organizational chart was created in 1854 for the New York and Erie Railroad Company by engineers David McCallum and George Henshaw.
Unlike the top-down pyramid-like structures we see today, the design depicts a beautiful tree with the leadership significantly placed at the bottom (the 'roots') and the long branches corresponding to the railroads' different departments and divisions. This extraordinary artifact transformed thinking for decades to come on designing and communicating organizational roles and relationships.
The chart has sat untouched in the US Library of Congress for over 170 years and never been publicly displayed. I have carefully restored the original design and reimagined it as a large-scale experiential installation titled the Roots of Trust, which has been selected for the prestigious 2025 London Design Biennale.
The Biennale's theme of "Surface Reflections" aligns with the piece's material qualities and explores how design can help tell stories, address complex global challenges, and bring clarity to chaos.
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Engraved Acrylic (1855mm x 2966mm)
London Design Biennale
I'm delighted to specially invite you to be a corporate partner for the London Design Biennale, June 5-25, 2025. This three-week-long international exhibition and events programme will be held at the historic Somerset House in the heart of London.
The 2023 Biennale included world-leading designs from artists, innovators, academics,and was featured in 350+ national and international articles in publications, with almost 28,000 visitors to the exhibition.
The ROOTS OF TRUST installation will be part of the UK exhibit in the historic Embankment Galleries.
We're looking for a corporate partner with an innovative brand and leadership team that embraces the importance of trust in everything they do. It is an opportunity to create an inspiring programme with me around a one-of-a-kind installation at a world-class exhibition.
About Rachel Botsman
Rachel Botsman is an author and experiential designer who rethinks fundamental paradigm shifts that shape our lives.
Over 20 years, she has become renowned as one of the world's most influential and multifaceted thought leaders on trust. She explores the space between arts, philosophy, technology and business and what can happen when they interconnect.
Botsman has collaborated with global brands and given talks at leading cultural institutions, including TED, Lincoln Centre for Performing Arts, Sydney Opera House, Southbank Centre and Royal Society of the Arts. She is a fellow of Oxford University.
Her cross-disciplinary concepts have been widely featured in the media including, the New York Times, WIRED, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Guardian, and TIME. She has been globally recognized with awards, including the Women of the Year, The Webby's, Thinkers50, Business Book Awards, Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business, and named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
Botsman's work is rooted in a lifelong practice of researching, drawing and writing about the artifacts and origin stories of business and behavioural concepts.