This interactive art piece at the Mexican / US border wall is incredibly moving. It connects children and adults in meaningful ways on both sides with the recognition that the actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side. Way to bring light to an incredibly dark situation.
“ever notice how the media loves activism that provides zero material benefit. why spend years making a teetertotter and not a 2 sided ladder?? ?? why is this applauded while activists who left water in the dessert are facing 20 years in prison—these things are connected. there is a reason one is applauded and one is criminalized. we need to be critical of why we have been taught to applaud this. even from a purely performative standpoint—what is the point? to humanize a site of mass colonial violence? who does that benefit?” —artist Vienna Rye’s (@vrye on insta) words on this really made me think differently when I saw images of the seesaw shared.
I have been spending the morning thinking about how I come here (to Swiss-Miss) to relax and connect especially when I’m stressed after work (I’m a biomedical researcher). And I think this most makes sense in the context of the other posts you curate here—that it offered hope and was shared for that reason. But I guess I’m asking that we be more critical about what these silver lining posts allow us freedom from and whether it results is us walking away from an obligation to speak up and take more direct and meaningful action against the atrocities of ice/border patrol / and other white supremicist actors.
Put another way: this image now makes me think of images I see on Facebook of black children hugging white cops. Who is most likely to share those images and who benefits from them? I think the dynamic is similar.
I l
Aug 4th, 2019 / 10:29 am
i like idea
Aug 6th, 2019 / 1:09 am