Migrant Camera is a nomadic camera obscura tent inspired by worker shelters aesthetics built by Union and undocumented workers, with the idea to foster conversations in Public Spaces between the workers, stakeholders and general public about life and work, in addition to symbolically addressing the existing social order for immigrants by turning the world upside down.
Presenters: Sol Aramendi
Location: Brooklyn Bridge Park – Pier 5 Uplands
Migrant Camera is a nomadic camera obscura tent inspired by worker shelters aesthetics built by Union and undocumented workers, with the idea to foster conversations in Public Spaces between the workers, stakeholders and general public about life and work, in addition to symbolically addressing the existing social order for immigrants by turning the world upside down.
The fact of being inside a camera will invite for a social interaction in an era of “selfies”, a different take on the photographic moment only tied to observation, in this case observation with participation. An intimate space for dialogue, learning and collective representations for anyone who wants to participate.
Encouraging new immigrants to lead through art, Sol Aramendi works on socially engaged art collaborations that continue to be a part of an evolving social sculpture between labor, immigration, and art.
Seventeen years ago, she moved from Argentina to the United States and founded Project Luz. The heart of the work consists of facilitating a series of forums called The Workers Studio, where community members can use their own imagination and skills to come up with solutions, responses, and actions.
For this project, I built on my close ties with the workers of the New York City day-laborer community organizations, which have been the backbone of my professional experience, and deeply embedded in my personal artistic practice. As a facilitator, I use art strategies and the tools from my experience of community organizing in the labor movement. I accompany my work with reflections on participatory action research, and include pedagogical strategies from my work as a teacher.
Our projects are forums to build creative, social spaces through dialogue and cross-pollination. I have enabled the engagement of innumerable immigrant workers to discuss their issues in a social and creative space.
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