#10 Art & Politics

The last week in July was book ended by zapatistas and a public action in opposition to the deaths of women in Mexico.  Our action through the streets of San Cristobal de las Casas was inspired by Jesusa Rodriguez (who we had spent the week working with), her work with Resistencia Creativa and in solidarity with another artist who works along the US Mexican boarder.

It is illegal for extranjeros to engage in political protests in Mexico.  The punishment is deportation and never being granted permission to return to Mexico again.  Because our action was posed to the local police as a work of art, we were granted not only permission but given police escorts to make sure that our procession was safe as it traveled along the crowded streets.

Ideas of responsibility and necessity were thread through our conversations this week.  As artists and academics how do we take responsibility for political engagement? How do we do this responsibly?  What is the need to act?  How are our acts make stronger and more sincere when they come from a place of necessity?  A need to respond?  Stephen of 2boystv (who, by the way, are so wonderful) used a dance performance as a way to describe this: that in some dance pieces there is nothing extraordinary, and then in others every movement feels like a necessary reaction to the previous which lends the entire experience a sense of intensity, intention and meaning.  I think this is like living in a heightened tension, an edge, in which each choice and action comes not because it is over thought or analyzed but because it is needed.  This maybe results in actions that are not always ultimately “right” or “effective” but I think the important part is that it is something.

We need to act.

No more of this over thinking.  Actions lead to more actions.  Stasis makes us scared.

So while this action was maybe not ultimately “right” or “effective” it was powerful to be a part of something, to put something together so quickly and realize that in a short period of time with a group of dedicated creative folks you can make something really moving.

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#9 An Awkward Tourist Moment

When given permission to take your photograph with members of the EZNL do you take the opportunity?  This happened at Oventik, a Zapastita Caracol outside of San Cristobal de Las Casas on Monday July 26th, 2010.

It was awkward.

#8 Privilege Power Disappearance

After my first week in San Cristobal de Las Casas and participating in the Art & Resistance class through Centro Hemisférico I found myself sad and overwhelmed by my position of privilege in the face of transnational class race and gender issues.  What to do….how to act…how to perform resistance….

#7 The Past Future

In response to Susan Meiselas‘ photo installation as seen in Pictures from a Revolution

Project Score:

Audio records of what Northampton was to my father as a child and teenager growing up in Northampton, placed in a virtual map and indicated by actual markers throughout Northampton.

Use this audio as a through line punctuated by the past future and present future ideas of current Northampton residents/activators.