EN MEDIO (2003)

This installation consists of two one-channel videos and one sound piece. The monitors are suspended from the ceiling facing each other. The space between the monitors is enough so that the viewer can see the videos by standing in between them. Each video presents views of the the Iztacihuatl and Popocateptl volcanos. Both volcanos are located in the central valley of Mexico. The videos have been edited and are presented in slow motion.The sound piece records the ambient sound of the site surrounding the volcanos and remains in real time.

En Medio continues with my exploration of notions that arise from the experience of being in"self ­exile”. In this piece I was interested in creating a space in which the same reality can be experienced in two different times and spaces, and from different perspectives to aproximate the sense of displacement created by experiences of exile. It also explores questions of cultural identity and formations of the self that are always central in these experiences.

In Mexican history, the site between these two volcanoes represents a site of flux and exchange between cultures . According to popular history, this is the site were Aztecs and Spaniards met for the first time. This piece also explores the gendered dimension of this popular account, which ascribes particular meanings to these volcanos. The Iztacihuatl is an inactive volcano and represents womanhood. It is believed that if this volcano erupted, perhaps Mexico while then finally enter in to the world of "developed nations". On the other hand, Popocateptl is an active volcano and as such it represents manhood. The space between this monitors is then a metaphore of a space in between, as space in flux, a transitory space in which both gendered subjectivites and cultural identites take shape.

Installed at VI Bienal de Monterrey FEMSA, Mexico.
Honorable Mention November 6 , 2003 to February 6, 2004, Centro de las Artes, Parque Fundidora, Monterrey, Mexico.