June 6, 2008
Swoon and Tennessee Jane's Underground Installation
Last weekend the Swoon and Tennessee Jane collaborative exhibit, Portrait of Silvia Elena, opened at Honey Space (Suckapants has some nice photos). The installation is a memorial to Silvia Elena, a 17-year old girl who was murdered in Juarez, Mexico, in 1995 -- one of the many brutally killed there since the early 90s.
Housed underground, one must descend through a hole in the floor to get to the exhibit. There's a ladder to aid the descent, but at the opening last week one had to climb down rubble. Once underground in the long-sealed, candlelit sub-basement, visitors encounter a shrine dedicated to Silvia's memory while they hear the sound of dirt being cleared from Silvia's grave, the desert winds, and Silvia's mother speaking about her daughter.
The eerie setting "provides a window into the tragic and ongoing issue of femicide. Defined as a pattern of murder targeting women, to which authorities have often systematically turned a blind eye." The show runs through July 5th.
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How unbelievably exploitative!
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I love that you have to climb down to see the exhibit. They should have kept the rubble as it is in the photos.
I had no idea female homicides were such a big issue down there:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_homicides_in_Ciudad_Ju%C3%A1rez
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This is fresh. Great photos.
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I guess that "Swoon" above refers to the magazine by that name? I'd confirm that with a visit to their website, but I just did look at it -- swoonmagazine.com -- and there's no mention of this that I can find.
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no, this is the swoon you're looking for:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swoon_(artist)
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Dump the photos gothamist. People should have to experience the exhibit, not by reading it. Duh...
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I like how Matty was immediately disproved by the comment immediately following his. It's not exploitative, it's informative. It's not taking, it's sharing.
People who are quick to point an accusatory finger are rarely fast to lend a helping hand.