Can You See Us Now? ¿Ya Nos Pueden Ver?
“The Interventionists: Art in the Social Sphere,” MASS MoCA,
North Adams, MA, May 2004–April 2005.
Excerpt [clothing tag map] shown in, “Thought Crimes: The Art
of Subversion,” Diverse Works, Houston, TX, April 1–May 28,
2005.
The installation Can You See Us Now? ¿Ya Nos Pueden Ver? seeks to map and make visible the intersections of womenís material and affective labor in cultures of production (and production of culture) in North Adams, MA, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. What are the economic, cultural and every-day life effects of processes of outsourcing of labor and globalization on towns like North Adams and Juárez? What is the role of information and telecommunication technologies in this process? The effects of global processes are manifested locally where specific forces come together to shape the conditions of life. subRosa discovered that the labor conditions and daily lives of women in North Adams resonate intimately with those of women in Ciudad Juárez. Our installation at MASS MoCA maps some of these links and resonances.The installation consists of two large aerial wall maps of North Adams and Ciudad Juárez, with map pins and legends denoting "points of view" in the two cities. The "forensic floor" conceals 12 spaces filled with objects, texts, and clues that invite the audience to become investigators in tracing connections between the maps, the contents of the floor, and the Point of View pamphlet/textmap also available in the installation. On one wall hang 5 posters by Mexican artist/designer teams on the theme of "The women of Juárez demand justice." They are part of a group of 60 posters expressing concern and outrage about the continuing murder and disappearance of women in Ciudad Juárez.
