THE NAFTA EFFECT: SALT IN THE WOUND

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THE NAFTA EFFECT: SALT IN THE WOUND (2005) is a guerrilla public projection that challenged anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy in response to the escalation of xenophobia in the years following 9/11. It drew attention to the debates surrounding immigration reform and the criminalization of undocumented workers. The project, which also included a 3-channel video, acknowledged the contribution and participation of immigrant laborers in daily life. On the level of policy, THE NAFTA EFFECT: SALT IN THE WOUND highlighted how international treaties like NAFTA, in concert with national anti-immigration efforts such as a 700-mile border fence, insidiously reshape the ways that families live and work on both sides of the border. Roaming the streets of Los Angeles and Boston, the project articulated that xenophobia is not an effective "immigration, trade, diplomatic, ethical or security" policy. THINK AGAIN utilized the metaphor of salt to signify an aspect of human suffering and misery. “Rubbing salt in a wound” invokes the gratuitous infliction of misery on those in already grueling situations.

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Click on the link to read the entire text "poem" of the project in English and Spanish. A few examples of the text can also be found below.