Originally created in 1855 by Daniel McCallum, Superintendent of the New York and Erie Railroad Company, the first known organisational chart emerged during a period of rapid growth and change. Forgotten for over 170 years, it was rediscovered and carefully restored from the archives of the U.S. Library of Congress.

Unlike the top-down pyramid structures we're familiar with today, the design's delicate strokes and organic lines intentionally position the leadership team at the base —the roots—with frontline workers extending outward along the branches.

In the installation, the chart is etched onto a floating transparent panel and softly illuminated, casting shifting ‘shadowscapes’ throughout the space. These fluid, unboxed forms reflect the challenge of organizing human dynamics, which are anything but neat and orderly.

The contrast between the structured chart and its moving shadows calls attention to how systems, simplified on paper, do not reflect the complexities of the real human experience. Through its fluidity and nature- inspired beauty, ‘Roots of Trust’ invites viewers to reconsider the linear and hierarchical ways organisations think about power and trust today.

More than ever, design thinking is needed to reimagine rigid systems and structures that are collapsing, broken, or no longer relevant. In restoring and reinterpreting this historical artifact, Botsman has learned a powerful lesson: to innovate and think differently, start with the roots.