<HOMELAND | TRANSMISSIONS>
Exhibition | Narrative Thesis
Welcome to Hy-METRO-CITY
“The following explores the myth of the enigmatic civilization of Hy-METRO-City.
Once a rhizomatic model of cultural intersections, the city portrayed a hybrid past-future where sense and non-sense coexisted peacefully.
At its peak, this megacity was a hub of cosmopolitanism. Citizens practiced voluntary affiliations and multiple identities. As such, their sense of existing and belonging remained in a state of flux.”
An MFA Thesis
Pratt Institute
April 2016
Steuben Gallery, Brooklyn NY
“The origins of this civilization are the cultivation of rapid anthropological and technological developments.
These peoples leave no singular defining name for themselves.
For documentation purposes, we shall call the inhabitants the Post-Ethno Cyborgs.”
“What effects can technology impose on culture and mixed identities?
What constitutes a utopian or dystopian society?
What is gained by the hybrid self?
What is left behind?
And, where do we go from here?”
“The city reflects Post-Ethno Cyborgs’ limited access to ancestral knowledge.
Ultimately, planning decisions were based in emotional attachment and instinct.”
ENVIRONMENT
Images are collected from Google Earth of four cities from which my distant relatives have immigrated: Caraz, Peru; Saltillo, Mexico; and Hiroshima and Matsuyama, Japan.
The accessibility of this software allows the possibility of transforming and juxtaposing architectural elements.
Mysticism in the imagery is derived from never having visited these locations.
CHARACTERS
The post-ethnic characters are created from self-documented performance.
They have distorted features, are adorned in patterns and regalia drawn from their environment.
They are portrayed in action: deciphering signs and language, building homes, or in social gatherings.
They seek collectivity through their differences.
“Early records document the physical similarities between early Post-Ethno Cyborgs (PECs). The overabundant mixture of racial features had neutralized their individual appearances.
These early PECs had a nondescript blue-purplish ambiance, symbolizing their slippage from defined individuals and non-placeable organisms. Their white, shapeless garbs referenced something or nothing.
To restore individual identity, PECs turned to one resource that they had in abundance: rapid & emotional exchanges with past technological information.
Over time, the formation of a central hub in Hy-METRO-City became a place of identity and belonging where the lost were welcomed home.”
