Allora & Calzadilla: Reclamation and the Trace Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla emerged from two different worlds; Allora was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Calzadilla was born in Havana, Cuba. The two met in Florence while studying abroad in 1995 and currently live and work together in San Juan, Puerto Rico as a collaborative duo. The two are interested in unexpected juxtaposition, especially how one material behaves against another. Allora & Calzadilla combine sculpture, performance, photography, video, and sound to illustrate “spatial investigations” in their work. Author Yates McKee refers to Allora & Calzadilla as “tactical cartographers” for the way they create, use, and distribute spatial data to confront power and
The island of Vieques in Puerto Rico has been a site of protest and civil unrest since 1941 when the eastern and western edges of the island were acquired by the U.S. military to practice naval strategies. For decades, the locals have shared their land with the burden of militarism, accompanied by the sound of bombs dropping by both the United States and U.S. allies who rented the land. In 2003, the land was handed over to the U.S. Department of the Interior and declared a wildlife refuge, but the harsh past of the island continues to plague the local people despite the high end luxury resorts that have replaced some of the costal test
As Returning a Sound’s successor, the 2005 video piece is less of a jubilant reclamation of land, and more so a medium to discuss the current state of the island, and who the land really belongs to. The viewer watches Diego, the son of a local fisherman, as he circles the island. Instead of traveling by means of a traditional boat, the man sits aboard an overturned conference table with an outboard motor attached to one end. The camera switches between the view from the boat and an aerial view, similar to the view of a map, or an aerial strike. The coastline is riddled with unexploded bombs and luxury resorts, and is marked with contradictory signs; some exclaiming “NO TRESPASSING, Authorized Personnel Only: Danger – Explosives,” and others gently welcoming visitors to the “Vieques Wildlife Refuge,” specifying permitted activities such as “nature observation, photography, and hiking.” By presenting this information, the artists then ask: “How is land differentiated from other land by the way it is marked? Who decides what is worth preserving and what should be destroyed? What are the strategies for reclaiming the marked land?” As Allora & Calzadilla literally mobilize the conference table and symbolize the need for discussion on the fate of the land, Diego traces the white sandy coastline with the wake of the boat. The medium becomes the memory, and Diego becomes a cartographer
The poem “Exile” by Julia Alvarez dramatizes the conflicts of a young girl’s family’s escape from an oppressive dictatorship in the Dominican Republic to the freedom of the United States. The setting of this poem starts in the city of Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, which was renamed for the brutal dictator Rafael Trujillo; however, it eventually changes to New York when the family succeeds to escape. The speaker is a young girl who is unsophisticated to the world; therefore, she does not know what is happening to her family, even though she surmises that something is wrong. The author uses an extended metaphor throughout the poem to compare “swimming” and escaping the Dominican Republic. Through the line “A hurried bag, allowing one toy a piece,” (13) it feels as if the family were exiled or forced to leave its country. The title of the poem “Exile,” informs the reader that there was no choice for the family but to leave the Dominican Republic, but certain words and phrases reiterate the title. In this poem, the speaker expresser her feeling about fleeing her home and how isolated she feels in the United States.
The debate on Puerto Rican Identity is a hot bed of controversy, especially in today’s society where American colonialism dominates most of the island’s governmental and economic policies. The country wrestles with the strong influence of its present day colonizers, while it adamantly tries to retain aspects of the legacy of Spanish colonialism. Despite America’s presence, Puerto Ricans maintain what is arguably their own cultural identity which seems largely based on the influence of Spain mixed with customs that might have developed locally.
...He is still anchored to his past and transmits the message that one makes their own choices and should be satisfied with their lives. Moreover, the story shows that one should not be extremely rigid and refuse to change their beliefs and that people should be willing to adapt to new customs in order to prevent isolation. Lastly, reader is able to understand that sacrifice is an important part of life and that nothing can be achieved without it. Boats are often used as symbols to represent a journey through life, and like a captain of a boat which is setting sail, the narrator feels that his journey is only just beginning and realizes that everyone is in charge of their own life. Despite the wind that can sometimes blow feverishly and the waves that may slow the journey, the boat should not change its course and is ultimately responsible for completing its voyage.
Bartolomé de Las Casas begins by providing a vivid description of each land being invaded by the Europeans and the type of peopl...
The Island political status has been an issue over many years since Spanish-American War. Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth “Free Associated State of P.R” of the US. In fact, Puerto Rico became a US territory in 1898, when it was earned from Spain after the Spanish-American War. It gave Puerto Ricans the right
...Leòn serves both as an artistic stroke and an underlining of the stories message. The tale of Ponce de Leòn's futile search for the fountain of youth is well known, and this allusion hammers down the nail of pain and loss that alcoholism has brought Merrill.
This places the reader in recognisable landscape which is brought to life and to some extent made clearer to us by the use of powerful, though by no means overly literary adjectives. Machado is concerned with presenting a picture of the Spanish landscape which is both recognisable and powerful in evoking the simple joys which it represents. Furthermore, Machado relies on what Arthur Terry describes as an `interplay between reality and meditation' in his description of landscape. The existence of reality in the text is created by the use of geographical terms and the use of real names and places such as SOrai and the Duero, while the meditation is found in...
After the Spanish-American war, Spain granted the United States with full ownership of the island of Puerto Rico, which largely benefited the United States with profitable agricultural land, in the same way, Puerto Rican citizens were all benefited when they received U.S. citizenship, this granted them with greater opportunities that awaited them in the United States. However, despite their citizenship, Puerto Ricans are yet to have a vote in national U.S. elections. The ownership of the island has mostly benefited the United States as it is able to control the land, and impose tax and restrictions. Due to this, Puerto Rico transformed from a local economy, to one that is dominated by external U.S. companies. Because of many programs that have been implemented in order to stimulate economic development, the economy has progressed. However, one of the negative side effects left the population dealing with high income tax, as well as leading the economy further away from the local farmers and into the capitalist economy of the United States. It seems as if the relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico benefit the capitalist country and its economy but fails to befit much of the islands population as they are later faced with high income tax and high unemployment rates. Because of the high unemployment, the Puerto
In the early morning hours of January 12th 1981, twenty-five detonations were heard coming from the ramp at Muñiz Air National Guard Base, located in the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico (PR). It was a terrorist attack. The result? Ten A-7D aircrafts and a single F-104 destroyed, with a total of $45,000,000 in damages. It was the largest attack on the US military since the Vietnam War. The culprits? All members of a separatist domestic terrorist group called Ejercito Popular Boricua (English: Boricua Popular Army or BPA, EPB) more commonly known as Los Macheteros (“The Machete Wielders”); a nickname that conjures images of the improvised group of Puerto Ricans that banded together to defend and fight the United States Army when they invaded during the Spanish-American War. BPA’s main ideology is a free Puerto Rico, free from the colonial status that United States has on PR, and for PR to become its own sovereign state. Although BPA is not as active as it once was, they still promote and will fight for PR’s independence. But to understand the history and origins, ideologies, and goals of BPA we must go back in time to recognize why such a group even exists.
Upon the arrival of the Americans, Puerto Ricans, for the most part, rejoiced in hopes of new liberties not found under Spanish colonial rule. Puerto Ricans expected “under American sovereignty that the wrongs of centuries” would “be righted.” (Trias-Monge 36) The United States would surely extend its democratic policies to Puerto Rico, as it should to any of its other parts. The U.S., however, did not consider Puerto Rico as part of the mainland. Joseph Foraker, senate member, captured the American sentiment: “Puerto Rico belongs to the United States, but is not the United States, nor a part of the United States.” (Fernandez 2) The basic assumption that the U.S. would create legislation equal to that of the mainland lasted only a brief period. Puerto Ricans were made clear on the American position. The ultimate authority belonged to the U.S. Government as only they were seen fit to govern the affairs of the island. The American government was openly adamant in declaring the people inferior and incapable of ruling themselves due to their race as the genetic successors of the Spanish. “Puerto Ricans were an inferior offspring of an already middle-level race.” (Fernandez 13) More importantly the inhabitants of Puerto Rico were dismissed on the basis on their skin color. As non-white they were compared to small children. “The Latino was presented as a ‘black child’”. (Fernandez 13), who at that time was at the bottom of the racial hierarchy. With this image in mind the United States continued its fatherly role and created several policies that would have destructive effects on the island.
Puerto Rico is a small island in the Caribbean that holds a vast, and rich culture. Due to its accessible geographical location, it is often called the key to the Caribbean. Puerto Rico enriched its people with one of the most innate and unique culture different from the rest of the world. The colonization of Spaniards left us not only with myriad architectural heritage, but also with language and cultural traditions that beholds Hispanic imagery and representations. Our music, our love of dancing and festivities, as well as our practice of Catholic beliefs represents
...ment in which the story takes place. His ellaborate description of the llano shows you the beauty of Spanish America and helps you to understand the restless culture of the vaqueros who wander across it. Also, Anaya gives you a detailed description of El Puerto. The village in which the Lunas reside. The imagery in this description also helps you to understand the culture of the farmers, the calm and quiet people who plant their crops by the light of the moon and live in peace. Imagery plays and important role in this novel because without it, certain aspects such as the point of views of both the Lunas and the Marez faimy, would never be understood .
Throughout the story the ocean represented Edna's constant struggle for self-realization and independence. From her first flow of emotion on the beach to her last breath of life in the sea, the ocean beckons her. The voice of the sea lures her onward in her journey toward liberation and empowerment.
Williams, Bruce. "The Reflection of a Blind Gaze: Maria Luisa Bemberg, Filmmaker." A Woman's Gaze: Latin American Women Artists. Ed. Marjorie Agosin. New York; White Pine Press, 1998. 171-90.
Santiago went through many turmoil’s in his life and his story is one of wisdom in defeat from the lengthy time of which he could not catch anything to that of his loss of the marlin to the sharks after such a lengthy battle to catch it then attempt to bring it back to shore. Now I could go on and on like any other paper about all the symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea but no matter what I did while reading it, in almost every aspect it screamed out to me as an impersonation or reflection of Hemingway’s own life in a multitude of ways that no one can deny. The Old Man and the Sea was an allegory referring to the Hemingway’s own struggles to preserve his writing i...