Space of Dreams & Reality by Cindy Milstein
I want to share more images from the autonomous space of Interference Archive, where members of Sublevarte Colectivo from Mexico City are bringing their “Persistence of Dreams” exhibit to life, because their process seems such a lovely illustration of prefigurative politics. My snapshots likely don’t capture how much their philosophy (Zapatismo, and specifically influenced by the “Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle”) so shapes not only their art & graphics but also their way of relating to this space & the process of creation as well as each other. I was struck by that when they took time out from the huge amount of work they have to do to install this exhibit by this Friday’s opening to explain the Zapatistas and Mexican social movements to a small group of high school kids this morning. Not only were they generous with their time & ideas; they also gave each kid a stack of political stickers they’d created, but especially tried to stress to them the Zapatista sensibility of politics: “asking, listening & leading by obeying,” along with “for everyone, everything, for us, nothing.” Another group of high school kids is coming through in about an hour, and they are going to take a second break to share their own history, art, and process, which they plan to do this Friday during the opening (in Spanish and English) via continual artist-led tours of their exhibit (7-10 pm). I feel so fortunate to be part of the archive & working here every day this week, witnessing how well one collective is prefiguring the type of society they want to see, politically and personally. I hope that shines through the “finished” exhibit, and somehow suspect it will. I’ll end by letting Sublevarte members speak in their own words: “Our world is a space to express dreams and reality. We believe in an organization that is active every day and never gives up. Each line, color, and shape frame our destiny and the world we wish to create.” — at Interference Archive. (near Interference Archive)
I want to share more images from the autonomous space of Interference Archive, where members of Sublevarte Colectivo from Mexico City are bringing their “Persistence of Dreams” exhibit to life, because their process seems such a lovely illustration of prefigurative politics. My snapshots likely don’t capture how much their philosophy (Zapatismo, and specifically influenced by the “Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle”) so shapes not only their art & graphics but also their way of relating to this space & the process of creation as well as each other. I was struck by that when they took time out from the huge amount of work they have to do to install this exhibit by this Friday’s opening to explain the Zapatistas and Mexican social movements to a small group of high school kids this morning. Not only were they generous with their time & ideas; they also gave each kid a stack of political stickers they’d created, but especially tried to stress to them the Zapatista sensibility of politics: “asking, listening & leading by obeying,” along with “for everyone, everything, for us, nothing.” Another group of high school kids is coming through in about an hour, and they are going to take a second break to share their own history, art, and process, which they plan to do this Friday during the opening (in Spanish and English) via continual artist-led tours of their exhibit (7-10 pm). I feel so fortunate to be part of the archive & working here every day this week, witnessing how well one collective is prefiguring the type of society they want to see, politically and personally. I hope that shines through the “finished” exhibit, and somehow suspect it will. I’ll end by letting Sublevarte members speak in their own words: “Our world is a space to express dreams and reality. We believe in an organization that is active every day and never gives up. Each line, color, and shape frame our destiny and the world we wish to create.” — at Interference Archive. (near Interference Archive)
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