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        My parents left Mexico when they were about 19-20 years old. They left their families and had me at the young age of 21. 20 years later, I left my home to go to college; I left my family too. I wonder what they thought when they walked around their new neighborhood, did they feel scared, did they feel angry? 

As I walked around the Appleton houses shooting, I thought about the way I felt. I felt scared. I felt watched, as if at any moment an owner would yell at me to get off their property. Regardless, I embraced the discomfort. I found myself looking for ways to intrude. If you were a homeowner, and saw me in front of your house, mysteriously shooting multiple angles, would YOU feel scared? Why? 

It might seem a bit insensitive and weird to go around shooting houses you've never been in, but I found this to be more therapeutic than anything. It felt good to explore. It felt good to intrude. I found myself thinking a bit deeper into what I was doing while shooting these houses. To me, I was undergoing one of the most important parts of decolonization. I was taking back what had been taken from our people, our sense of safety, our sense of peace. 

“History as she is harped. Rite words rote order” said McLuhan, and while I’m still partly confused by what he meant. I think the re-ordering and re-telling of history by pushing the boundaries of what really happened is extremely important. The pivotal part is that we must keep pushing it forward, all while accepting that this new era is ever-changing, constantly becoming something else, something you might never ever comprehend.

Comments

  1. Bowen ZNovember 22, 2021 at 8:45 PM

    I LIKE YOUR IDEA OF TAKING PICTURES OF THE HOUSING, THEY ARE ACTUALLY THE MOST PORTION OF ART ELEMENTS IN TOWN!

    ReplyDelete

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