• barquitos de papel | paper boats, 2006-present.

    barquitos de papel is an interactive mixed media and video installation piece conceived as part of the Fulbright workshops and first shown at the Centro Cutural de España in San Salvador during the project in 2006. Continuing to draw from the autobiographical as a point of departure, the video shows images of the last week of my father’s life as he and I made paper boats together, while also alluding to the role of lens-based media in the telling of our family’s stories of migration. Additionally, the installation beckons to the public and workshop participants to add their own paper boats to the space, inscribed with their own families’ stories of migration. Hence the birth of the barquitos de papel collective archive, a growing repository of audio, video and historical documents and a space for dialogue about identity and place. 

     

    When my father was sick, I felt the need to talk with him about many things, including some that were not so easily broached. Before leaving for El Salvador on what became one of my last visits before his death, I found a little blue paper boat that he had made for my son. The side of the boat advertised the miracle of antioxidants. But we all knew that neither antioxidants nor any other treatment would save his life.

    That’s how the idea came to me: we would make paper boats with documents that marked our lives and the history of our family. We would remember births, weddings, deaths, and migrations, along with houses and land still owned or already sold, in El Salvador or even in Bethlehem. Together we reminisced, and while we deciphered stamps and dates on the documents before us, we also managed to speak about his wishes after he’d no longer be with us.

    barquitos de papel 2006 - present
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  • Video

    barquitos de papel | paper boats, 2006-present.

    barquitos de papel is an interactive mixed media and video installation piece conceived as part of the Fulbright workshops and first shown at the Centro Cutural de España in San Salvador during the project in 2006. Continuing to draw from the autobiographical as a point of departure, the video shows images of the last week of my father’s life as he and I made paper boats together, while also alluding to the role of lens-based media in the telling of our family’s stories of migration. Additionally, the installation beckons to the public and workshop participants to add their own paper boats to the space, inscribed with their own families’ stories of migration. Hence the birth of the barquitos de papel collective archive, a growing repository of audio, video and historical documents and a space for dialogue about identity and place. 

     

    When my father was sick, I felt the need to talk with him about many things, including some that were not so easily broached. Before leaving for El Salvador on what became one of my last visits before his death, I found a little blue paper boat that he had made for my son. The side of the boat advertised the miracle of antioxidants. But we all knew that neither antioxidants nor any other treatment would save his life.

    That’s how the idea came to me: we would make paper boats with documents that marked our lives and the history of our family. We would remember births, weddings, deaths, and migrations, along with houses and land still owned or already sold, in El Salvador or even in Bethlehem. Together we reminisced, and while we deciphered stamps and dates on the documents before us, we also managed to speak about his wishes after he’d no longer be with us.

    barquitos de papel | paper boats, video, 3min., 2006
    1439,267
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  • barquitos de papel | paper boats, 2006-present.

    barquitos de papel is an interactive mixed media and video installation piece conceived as part of the Fulbright workshops and first shown at the Centro Cutural de España in San Salvador during the project in 2006. Continuing to draw from the autobiographical as a point of departure, the video shows images of the last week of my father’s life as he and I made paper boats together, while also alluding to the role of lens-based media in the telling of our family’s stories of migration. Additionally, the installation beckons to the public and workshop participants to add their own paper boats to the space, inscribed with their own families’ stories of migration. Hence the birth of the barquitos de papel collective archive, a growing repository of audio, video and historical documents and a space for dialogue about identity and place. 

     

    When my father was sick, I felt the need to talk with him about many things, including some that were not so easily broached. Before leaving for El Salvador on what became one of my last visits before his death, I found a little blue paper boat that he had made for my son. The side of the boat advertised the miracle of antioxidants. But we all knew that neither antioxidants nor any other treatment would save his life.

    That’s how the idea came to me: we would make paper boats with documents that marked our lives and the history of our family. We would remember births, weddings, deaths, and migrations, along with houses and land still owned or already sold, in El Salvador or even in Bethlehem. Together we reminisced, and while we deciphered stamps and dates on the documents before us, we also managed to speak about his wishes after he’d no longer be with us.

    
    barquitos de papel video stills, 2006
    1440,267
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  • barquitos de papel | paper boats, 2006-present.

    Installation view, Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery, Washington, DC, 2020.

    barquitos de papel is an interactive mixed media and video installation piece conceived as part of the Fulbright workshops and first shown at the Centro Cutural de España in San Salvador during the project in 2006. Continuing to draw from the autobiographical as a point of departure, the video shows images of the last week of my father’s life as he and I made paper boats together, while also alluding to the role of lens-based media in the telling of our family’s stories of migration. Additionally, the installation beckons to the public and workshop participants to add their own paper boats to the space, inscribed with their own families’ stories of migration. Hence the birth of the barquitos de papel collective archive, a growing repository of audio, video and historical documents and a space for dialogue about identity and place. 

     

    When my father was sick, I felt the need to talk with him about many things, including some that were not so easily broached. Before leaving for El Salvador on what became one of my last visits before his death, I found a little blue paper boat that he had made for my son. The side of the boat advertised the miracle of antioxidants. But we all knew that neither antioxidants nor any other treatment would save his life.

    That’s how the idea came to me: we would make paper boats with documents that marked our lives and the history of our family. We would remember births, weddings, deaths, and migrations, along with houses and land still owned or already sold, in El Salvador or even in Bethlehem. Together we reminisced, and while we deciphered stamps and dates on the documents before us, we also managed to speak about his wishes after he’d no longer be with us.

    barquitos de papel/paper boats
    1440,960
    Not For Sale
  • barquitos from the archive (flag), archival pigment print on Epson Transparency Film or UV direct on plexiglass, 2018.

    barquitos from the archive (2018) is inspired by the hundreds of paper boats that individuals have contributed to the barquitos de papel collective archive and video installation since it premiered at the Cultural Center of Spain in San Salvador in 2006, as part of my Fulbright Scholar project, Backdrop: The Search for Home / Terruño: Detrás del telón. It is also an act of resistance at the hateful rhetoric against immigrants. 

    Each barquito is an individual portrait, and as little vessels, carry the power of our individual and collective testimony. From San Salvador to Buenos Aires to Newark to Dallas, to Brussels and to Washington, D.C., we’re encouraged to remember, to come together to (re)discover our own story, using copies of our family documents and photographs. The tactile process of making paper boats engenders connection, even healing. Through the act of participating, we claim our individual story in the communal space. In photographing these barquitos, I realize that the details hidden behind the folds resonate as much as those readily seen. 

    These photos of paper boats stand on their own as documents of our diverse journeys. They highlight our individuality while gesturing that together, we may find our belonging.

    1400,934
    Not For Sale
  • barquitos from the archive (...who do you miss the most?), archival pigment print on Epson Transparency Film or UV direct on plexiglass, 2018

    barquitos from the archive
    (2018) is inspired by the hundreds of paper boats that individuals have contributed to the barquitos de papel collective archive and video installation since it premiered at the Cultural Center of Spain in San Salvador in 2006, as part of my Fulbright Scholar project, Backdrop: The Search for Home / Terruño: Detrás del telón. It is also an act of resistance at the hateful rhetoric against immigrants. 

    Each barquito is an individual portrait, and as little vessels, carry the power of our individual and collective testimony. From San Salvador to Buenos Aires to Newark to Dallas, to Brussels and to Washington, D.C., we’re encouraged to remember, to come together to (re)discover our own story, using copies of our family documents and photographs. The tactile process of making paper boats engenders connection, even healing. Through the act of participating, we claim our individual story in the communal space. In photographing these barquitos, I realize that the details hidden behind the folds resonate as much as those readily seen. 

    These photos of paper boats stand on their own as documents of our diverse journeys. They highlight our individuality while gesturing that together, we may find our belonging.

    barquitos from the archive (...who do you miss the most?)
    1400,934
    Not For Sale
  • barquitos from the archive (patria o muerte...), archival pigment print on Epson Transparency Film or UV direct on plexiglass, 2018.

    barquitos from the archive (2018) is inspired by the hundreds of paper boats that individuals have contributed to the barquitos de papel collective archive and video installation since it premiered at the Cultural Center of Spain in San Salvador in 2006, as part of my Fulbright Scholar project, Backdrop: The Search for Home / Terruño: Detrás del telón. It is also an act of resistance at the hateful rhetoric against immigrants. 

    Each barquito is an individual portrait, and as little vessels, carry the power of our individual and collective testimony. From San Salvador to Buenos Aires to Newark to Dallas, to Brussels and to Washington, D.C., we’re encouraged to remember, to come together to (re)discover our own story, using copies of our family documents and photographs. The tactile process of making paper boats engenders connection, even healing. Through the act of participating, we claim our individual story in the communal space. In photographing these barquitos, I realize that the details hidden behind the folds resonate as much as those readily seen. 

    These photos of paper boats stand on their own as documents of our diverse journeys. They highlight our individuality while gesturing that together, we may find our belonging.

    barquitos from the archive (patria o muerte...)
    624,960
    Not For Sale
  • barquitos from the archive (Yellow National, Chicago, Lansing, Virginia), archival pigment print on Epson Transparency Film or UV direct on plexiglass, 2018.

    barquitos from the archive (2018) is inspired by the hundreds of paper boats that individuals have contributed to the barquitos de papel collective archive and video installation since it premiered at the Cultural Center of Spain in San Salvador in 2006, as part of my Fulbright Scholar project, Backdrop: The Search for Home / Terruño: Detrás del telón. It is also an act of resistance at the hateful rhetoric against immigrants. 

    Each barquito is an individual portrait, and as little vessels, carry the power of our individual and collective testimony. From San Salvador to Buenos Aires to Newark to Dallas, to Brussels and to Washington, D.C., we’re encouraged to remember, to come together to (re)discover our own story, using copies of our family documents and photographs. The tactile process of making paper boats engenders connection, even healing. Through the act of participating, we claim our individual story in the communal space. In photographing these barquitos, I realize that the details hidden behind the folds resonate as much as those readily seen. 

    These photos of paper boats stand on their own as documents of our diverse journeys. They highlight our individuality while gesturing that together, we may find our belonging.

    barquitos from the archive (Yellow National, Chicago,..)
    1400,934
    Not For Sale
  • barquitos from the archive (mis abuelos y el carro...), archival pigment print on Epson Transparency Film or UV direct on plexiglass, 2018.

    barquitos from the archive (2018) is inspired by the hundreds of paper boats that individuals have contributed to the barquitos de papel collective archive and video installation since it premiered at the Cultural Center of Spain in San Salvador in 2006, as part of my Fulbright Scholar project, Backdrop: The Search for Home / Terruño: Detrás del telón. It is also an act of resistance at the hateful rhetoric against immigrants. 

    Each barquito is an individual portrait, and as little vessels, carry the power of our individual and collective testimony. From San Salvador to Buenos Aires to Newark to Dallas, to Brussels and to Washington, D.C., we’re encouraged to remember, to come together to (re)discover our own story, using copies of our family documents and photographs. The tactile process of making paper boats engenders connection, even healing. Through the act of participating, we claim our individual story in the communal space. In photographing these barquitos, I realize that the details hidden behind the folds resonate as much as those readily seen. 

    These photos of paper boats stand on their own as documents of our diverse journeys. They highlight our individuality while gesturing that together, we may find our belonging.

    barquitos from the archive (mis abuelos y el carro...)
    1400,934
    Not For Sale
  • barquitos from the archive (...angel de los oprimidos..), archival pigment print on Epson Transparency Film or UV direct on plexiglass, 2018.

    barquitos from the archive (2018) is inspired by the hundreds of paper boats that individuals have contributed to the barquitos de papel collective archive and video installation since it premiered at the Cultural Center of Spain in San Salvador in 2006, as part of my Fulbright Scholar project, Backdrop: The Search for Home / Terruño: Detrás del telón. It is also an act of resistance at the hateful rhetoric against immigrants. 

    Each barquito is an individual portrait, and as little vessels, carry the power of our individual and collective testimony. From San Salvador to Buenos Aires to Newark to Dallas, to Brussels and to Washington, D.C., we’re encouraged to remember, to come together to (re)discover our own story, using copies of our family documents and photographs. The tactile process of making paper boats engenders connection, even healing. Through the act of participating, we claim our individual story in the communal space. In photographing these barquitos, I realize that the details hidden behind the folds resonate as much as those readily seen. 

    These photos of paper boats stand on their own as documents of our diverse journeys. They highlight our individuality while gesturing that together, we may find our belonging.

    barquitos from the archive (...angel de los oprimidos..)
    1400,934
    Not For Sale
  • barquitos from the archive (...can't escape family...), archival pigment print on Epson Transparency Film or UV direct on plexiglass, 2018.

    barquitos from the archive (2018) is inspired by the hundreds of paper boats that individuals have contributed to the barquitos de papel collective archive and video installation since it premiered at the Cultural Center of Spain in San Salvador in 2006, as part of my Fulbright Scholar project, Backdrop: The Search for Home / Terruño: Detrás del telón. It is also an act of resistance at the hateful rhetoric against immigrants. 

    Each barquito is an individual portrait, and as little vessels, carry the power of our individual and collective testimony. From San Salvador to Buenos Aires to Newark to Dallas, to Brussels and to Washington, D.C., we’re encouraged to remember, to come together to (re)discover our own story, using copies of our family documents and photographs. The tactile process of making paper boats engenders connection, even healing. Through the act of participating, we claim our individual story in the communal space. In photographing these barquitos, I realize that the details hidden behind the folds resonate as much as those readily seen. 

    These photos of paper boats stand on their own as documents of our diverse journeys. They highlight our individuality while gesturing that together, we may find our belonging.

    barquitos from the archive (...can't escape family...)
    1400,934
    Not For Sale
  • barquitos from the archive (me, Tere, Luis, Wanda...), archival pigment print on Epson Transparency Film or UV direct on plexiglass, 2018.

    barquitos from the archive (2018) is inspired by the hundreds of paper boats that individuals have contributed to the barquitos de papel collective archive and video installation since it premiered at the Cultural Center of Spain in San Salvador in 2006, as part of my Fulbright Scholar project, Backdrop: The Search for Home / Terruño: Detrás del telón. It is also an act of resistance at the hateful rhetoric against immigrants. 

    Each barquito is an individual portrait, and as little vessels, carry the power of our individual and collective testimony. From San Salvador to Buenos Aires to Newark to Dallas, to Brussels and to Washington, D.C., we’re encouraged to remember, to come together to (re)discover our own story, using copies of our family documents and photographs. The tactile process of making paper boats engenders connection, even healing. Through the act of participating, we claim our individual story in the communal space. In photographing these barquitos, I realize that the details hidden behind the folds resonate as much as those readily seen. 

    These photos of paper boats stand on their own as documents of our diverse journeys. They highlight our individuality while gesturing that together, we may find our belonging.

    barquitos from the archive (me, Tere, Luis, Wanda...)
    1400,934
    Not For Sale
  • barquitos from the archive (...grandmothers...), archival pigment print on Epson Transparency Film or UV direct on plexiglass, 2018.

    barquitos from the archive (2018) is inspired by the hundreds of paper boats that individuals have contributed to the barquitos de papel collective archive and video installation since it premiered at the Cultural Center of Spain in San Salvador in 2006, as part of my Fulbright Scholar project, Backdrop: The Search for Home / Terruño: Detrás del telón. It is also an act of resistance at the hateful rhetoric against immigrants. 

    Each barquito is an individual portrait, and as little vessels, carry the power of our individual and collective testimony. From San Salvador to Buenos Aires to Newark to Dallas, to Brussels and to Washington, D.C., we’re encouraged to remember, to come together to (re)discover our own story, using copies of our family documents and photographs. The tactile process of making paper boats engenders connection, even healing. Through the act of participating, we claim our individual story in the communal space. In photographing these barquitos, I realize that the details hidden behind the folds resonate as much as those readily seen. 

    These photos of paper boats stand on their own as documents of our diverse journeys. They highlight our individuality while gesturing that together, we may find our belonging.

    barquitos from the archive (...grandmothers...)
    1400,934
    Not For Sale
  • barquitos from the archive (smile), archival pigment print on EpsonTransparency Film or UV direct on plexiglass, 2018.

    barquitos from the archive (2018) is inspired by the hundreds of paper boats that individuals have contributed to the barquitos de papel collective archive and video installation since it premiered at the Cultural Center of Spain in San Salvador in 2006, as part of my Fulbright Scholar project, Backdrop: The Search for Home / Terruño: Detrás del telón. It is also an act of resistance at the hateful rhetoric against immigrants. 

    Each barquito is an individual portrait, and as little vessels, carry the power of our individual and collective testimony. From San Salvador to Buenos Aires to Newark to Dallas, to Brussels and to Washington, D.C., we’re encouraged to remember, to come together to (re)discover our own story, using copies of our family documents and photographs. The tactile process of making paper boats engenders connection, even healing. Through the act of participating, we claim our individual story in the communal space. In photographing these barquitos, I realize that the details hidden behind the folds resonate as much as those readily seen. 

    These photos of paper boats stand on their own as documents of our diverse journeys. They highlight our individuality while gesturing that together, we may find our belonging.

    barquitos from the archive (smile)
    1400,934
    Not For Sale
  • barquitos from the archive (...rainbow...) archival pigment print on Epson Transparency Film or UV direct on plexiglass, 2018.

    barquitos from the archive (2018) is inspired by the hundreds of paper boats that individuals have contributed to the barquitos de papel collective archive and video installation since it premiered at the Cultural Center of Spain in San Salvador in 2006, as part of my Fulbright Scholar project, Backdrop: The Search for Home / Terruño: Detrás del telón. It is also an act of resistance at the hateful rhetoric against immigrants. 

    Each barquito is an individual portrait, and as little vessels, carry the power of our individual and collective testimony. From San Salvador to Buenos Aires to Newark to Dallas, to Brussels and to Washington, D.C., we’re encouraged to remember, to come together to (re)discover our own story, using copies of our family documents and photographs. The tactile process of making paper boats engenders connection, even healing. Through the act of participating, we claim our individual story in the communal space. In photographing these barquitos, I realize that the details hidden behind the folds resonate as much as those readily seen. 

    These photos of paper boats stand on their own as documents of our diverse journeys. They highlight our individuality while gesturing that together, we may find our belonging.

    barquitos from the archive (...rainbow...)
    1400,934
    Not For Sale
  • barquitos from the archive (...Sandra...), archival pigment print on Epson Transparency Film or UV direct on plexiglass,2018.

    barquitos from the archive (2018) is inspired by the hundreds of paper boats that individuals have contributed to the barquitos de papel collective archive and video installation since it premiered at the Cultural Center of Spain in San Salvador in 2006, as part of my Fulbright Scholar project, Backdrop: The Search for Home / Terruño: Detrás del telón. It is also an act of resistance at the hateful rhetoric against immigrants. 

    Each barquito is an individual portrait, and as little vessels, carry the power of our individual and collective testimony. From San Salvador to Buenos Aires to Newark to Dallas, to Brussels and to Washington, D.C., we’re encouraged to remember, to come together to (re)discover our own story, using copies of our family documents and photographs. The tactile process of making paper boats engenders connection, even healing. Through the act of participating, we claim our individual story in the communal space. In photographing these barquitos, I realize that the details hidden behind the folds resonate as much as those readily seen. 

    These photos of paper boats stand on their own as documents of our diverse journeys. They highlight our individuality while gesturing that together, we may find our belonging.

    barquitos from the archive (...Sandra...)
    624,960
    Not For Sale
  • Installation view of barquitos from the archive, Migratory Aesthetics, George Mason University, Rofa Projects, Sept. 2019.

    barquitos from the archive (2018) is inspired by the hundreds of paper boats that individuals have contributed to the barquitos de papel collective archive and video installation since it premiered at the Cultural Center of Spain in San Salvador in 2006, as part of my Fulbright Scholar project, Backdrop: The Search for Home / Terruño: Detrás del telón. It is also an act of resistance at the hateful rhetoric against immigrants. 

    Each barquito is an individual portrait, and as little vessels, carry the power of our individual and collective testimony. From San Salvador to Buenos Aires to Newark to Dallas, to Brussels and to Washington, D.C., we’re encouraged to remember, to come together to (re)discover our own story, using copies of our family documents and photographs. The tactile process of making paper boats engenders connection, even healing. Through the act of participating, we claim our individual story in the communal space. In photographing these barquitos, I realize that the details hidden behind the folds resonate as much as those readily seen. 

    These photos of paper boats stand on their own as documents of our diverse journeys. They highlight our individuality while gesturing that together, we may find our belonging.

    barquitos from the archive
    1281,960
    Not For Sale
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