Snippets, my second project, consists of cards containing audio clips from ten interviews which were conducted with students in a public high school in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. When opened, recording mechanisms embedded in the greeting cards play a ten second audio snippet. Each set consists of of six cards and it will be packaged in a poster designed for this purpose. The six voices are made up of three non-Hispanic students and three first and second generation Hispanics. These sets will be mailed to approximately 50 adults, preferably heads of families whom I identify as either Hispanic or American based on the ethnic densities within neighborhoods in the Providence area.
My hope is that these cards will delight and educate. The cover of the card presents a stereotype quotation in text, and when the card is opened the audio is heard. The audio snippet then contradicts the cover. Small or large, the effects of an intimate interaction with real people's experiences is bound to start a mutual understanding--the core of the thesis. At the end, recipients are asked to follow up with their reaction in the form of a quick postcard. It is a self-addressed card back to me collected for further analysis. This creates a dialogue.
The New Game of Life illustrates the third quality of this thesis by opening a bidirectional conversation. It is a board game where all players win or lose based on actions taken on their community, in this case within the country of Colombia. The objective is for all players to go a minimum of twenty rounds and complete their tasks with their communities intact. If any player's community falls below five members, all players lose. With this game, the players learn about a new country, in regards to environment and social-political issues. Because the players are likely not to be Colombian, they are truly engaged in an adaptation as means of survival. This game is also an exercise in awareness. Colors differentiate players, cards, and topographical representations.
Prior visual and written studies have had a strong influence in this body of work. In the field of film, movies like "Made in L.A." inspired me to look closer at the significance of stereotypes and reasons why Hispanics migrate. The usage of personal narratives in this film augmented the impact it left on its audience, which motivated its use in this thesis.
"Legalize LA" is a great example of responsible corporate activism started by American Apparel, the largest clothing manufacturer in the United States. It emphasizes the reality that, although immigrants bring hard work and productivity to the American economy, they have been widely misrepresented by the media and certain politicians. Unlike most businesses, American Apparel is not afraid to speak out in fear of the government. This campaign is most inspirational to me and extremely relevant in the context of this thesis.
Via the book form, "Border Film Project: Migrant and Minutemen Photos from U.S.-Mexico Border" attempts to clarify and humanize this situation by presenting both sides of the issue. Both groups, migrants and the American volunteer border watchmen, known as the "Minutemen", document their journeys on the border through amateur photography. Through simple visual interpretations, this book lives in the chameleon world as it adapts to two distinctive territories.
