November 2013

For this twelfth, final year of the November Project each work listed is also part of the art activities of the (R)EVO COLECTIVO. Each day of November another site-specific art intervention was installed. The majority of these interventions are titled Immigration Reform Tests because that is the issue under consideration. For this year one photograph of each intervention has been selected although in most cases numerous have been taken. Observing the life cycle of each intervention is ongoing.

November Project 2013 Week One

Date/ Title	Notes
Friday November 1st Available 617.247.4882	This text intervention with the word and numbers shown was installed about one block from a police station in a fenced in area with a large cellular phone tower. The phone number is actually to the Albert Einstein Foundation. I thought if I include a phone number that someone may call it might as well provide an interesting experience. Text was removed when I passed by on 11/7/2013 at 11:00 pm.

                             

 

Date/ Title	Notes
Saturday November 2nd Great Bargain Art Project	This intervention was an advertisement in the El Paso Times Classified section for the entire contents of the November Project. Will run for two weeks. Price listed is $998.00. The following day I tried to find this ad in the newspaper, but it was not there. Classified ads are not always posted in the print version  the following day.

Date/ Title	Notes
Sunday November 3rd Immigration Reform Study #1	This intervention was created by covering a spare tire and a small box with a 6 x 8’ blue tarp and then placing large cement chunks around the edges. The message “Immigration Reform Study #1” was written twice on the tarp with large black letters. One week later the tire, the box and the rocks were still there, but the tarp was gone.

Date/ Title	Notes
Monday November 4th  Immigration Reform Test #2 Light to Freedom	For this intervention I released four balloons with small plastic containers attached to the balloon’s string within one block of the US/Mexico border. Each plastic container held a small vial that would emit light when bent. Three of the balloons flew away as planned, but one did not have enough air. As I was looking for a place to park a border patrol vehicle stopped to ask if I was OK.

Date/ Title	Notes
Tuesday November 5th Open the Door to Immigration Reform Test #3	For this intervention I installed two wooden doorstops under the doors of two downtown businesses. Each doorstop was painted neon pink and had the following text written on opposing sides “open the Door to Immigration Reform Test #3.” One of these doorstops was still in use on 11/18.

Date/ Title

Notes

Wednesday November 6th Borderline Test US/Mex

For this intervention I took two bags of flour to downtown El Paso at 11:30 pm on Stanton St near the corner of 4th Street and poured a line of flour across the road near the middle I wrote "US" on one side of the line and "MEX" on the other side. Less than two minutes after I poured the flour out a car drove over the flour and blew some of the flour around. The following day near the same time very little of the flour could still be detected on the street.

Date/ Title	Notes
Thursday November 7th Downtown El Paso Merchants $5.00 Coupon Immigration Reform Test #4	This message was printed on 80 coupons and installed on cars in the downtown area from 10:00 - 10:30 pm. Originally I planned to drop off packets of the coupons to businesses downtown, but then I thought placing one coupon on each car would be more interactive. I never knew how dark and empty the streets downtown are, eerie at this time of night because they are very empty.

November Project 2013 Week Two

Date/ Title

Notes

Friday November 8th “Progress is Late” text intervention

Text installed at about 11:50 pm on a fence around a parking lot near a ten-story housing building. Near corner of Olive one block west of Cotton St. A man was milling about near the apartment building as I installed the text, but he did not come near or say anything. Because I do not know this part of the downtown that well I did not know what to expect. Luckily I am getting better/faster with the grommets. Text was removed when I returned a week later.

Date/ Title	Notes
Saturday November 9th Pollanywhere.com Immigration Reform poll	This intervention was created by making a poll on the website listed. The poll asked the questions shown and was sent to about two dozen people- whatever e-mail address I could find of someone at the top ten gas and oil companies, editors from the LA Times, the Chicago Tribune etc. Responses should be sent to: bloggerrevo@gmail.com e-mail address.

Date/ Title	Notes
Sunday November 10th Immigration Reform Test #5	For this intervention I wrapped white Tyvek around a spare tire and a box. I wrote the title message on the Tyvek. I then placed this intervention at around 1:00 pm in the parking lot of the Americanos Bus Co. on the corner of Calleros Ct and West 9th Ave near the US/MEX bridge downtown.Two days later the intervention had been removed.

Date/ Title	Notes
Monday November 11th  “What do you think of Immigration Reform?” Test #6	For this intervention I printed 300 little labels with the title question inserted the labels in a mailing tube and left the tube standing on the sidewalk downtown. The labels asked that comments be sent to: bloggerrevo@gmail.com.

Date/ Title	Notes
Tuesday November 12th Open the Door to Immigration Reform Test #3.2	For this intervention I again placed two pink doorstops under downtown business doors. The first was removed by the time I returned to take a photograph. The second was at a business with a less open view to the sidewalk.

Date/ Title	Notes
Wednesday November 13th “Us” and “Them” sugar line	This line intervention used sugar instead of flour and the words “US” and “THEM” instead of “US and “MX.” Sugar does not blow away as easily so I am sure this intervention lasted a little longer than the previous one using flour.

 

Date/ Title	Notes
Thursday November 14th Money Bags Immigration Reform Test #7	For this intervention I filled 3 plastic shopping bags with sand and then attached foil tape to each with the title message. I also attached foil tape with $ written on them. These bags were placed outside of the Fourth National Bank downtown. The following day the bags were still there and three workmen were having lunch near the bags.

November Project 2013 Week Three

Date/ Title	Notes
Friday November 15th “Gas Posse Now” text intervention	This laminated text intervention was installed on a fence using plastic pull-ties along the freeway at the intersection of Gateway West and San Marcial Street. I have not returned to check on this intervention.

Date/ Title	Notes
Saturday November 16th Another El Paso Times classified ad intervention for the November Project	This ad intervention differed by adding “PRICE REDUCED” to the November 2ndad and lowering the price to $598.00.I found a printed version of this ad and discovered that it did include a contact e-mail address. That is probably why no one has responded.

Date/ Title	Notes
Sunday November 17th Immigration Reform Test #9	For this intervention I wrapped two found tires with a black blanket, duct tape and silver heating foil tape. I then stuck a green swim noodle in a hole on the top of the tires. The (R)EVO Collectivo stencil was painted on the package. I have not returned to check on this intervention.

Date/ Title	Notes
Monday November 18th Immigration Reform Test #6.2	This intervention was similar to that of 11/11 but the labels included the question “What should be done about Immigration Reform?” After I placed this tube on the side-walk on Stanton Street around 2:00 pm I returned and parked my car to take photographs of a man who found the tube. The man shook the tube until the labels fell out. No one has sent a response.

Date/ Title	Notes
Tuesday November 19th Open the Door to Immigration Reform Test #3.3	For this intervention I again placed two pink doorstops under doors. This time they were placed under UTEP campus building doors; the Center for Inter-American and Border Studies and Benedict Hall of Political Science. The doorstops were place around 10:00pm and were placed under the main doors. The two times I went by these doorstops were sitting near these doors.

Date/ Title	Notes
Wednesday November 20th “Abierto” and “Open” Masa Harina line.	For this intervention I used MASECA flour and made a line across Kansas St one block from the border freeway. The words “Abierto” and “Open” were written on either side of the line. Several cars drove over the line and text while it was in progress. From this point on I will try to use Spanish and English on these interventions.

Date/ Title	Notes
Thursday November 21st Immigration Reform Test # Flag Intervention	For this intervention I placed around 25 pink flags in the cracks of the sidewalk along Santa Fe Street south of Paisano. I placed the flags at around 11:00 pm. The following day at around noon I returned to the location and about half of the flags had been trampled down.

November Project 2013 Week Four

Date/ Title	Notes
Friday November 22nd Text intervention	In this intervention the text pieces merged with the Immigration Reform pieces. The text on this sign read “We Need Immigration Reform now!” in English and Spanish. The sign was about half the size of my previous signs. I returned on Nov. 28th and the sign was still there.

Date/ Title	Notes
Saturday November 23nd Virtual intervention	For this intervention I used the same information as in the November 2nd ad in the El Paso Times. In this case I placed the ad in the Berlin newspaper Der Kurier and instead of “Great Bargain Art Project” it was listed as “Tolles Schnäppchen Kunst Project.” Der Kurier transforms all listings to Ebay Deutschland.

Date/ Title	Notes
Sunday November 24th Immigration Reform Test #7.2	I placed a sandbag with “(R)EVO COLECTIVO” stenciled on the outside near the front door of the Compass Bank . The message “Donation for Immigration Reform” was also written on the outside of the bag as were a few “$”. At 10:00 am on Dec. 5th the sandbag was still in place.

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Notes

Monday November 25th Immigration Reform Test #6.3 Tube with labels

This tube included English and Spanish versions of the question “How Do You See Immigration Reform Affecting the Economy?” I placed this tube on the corner of El Paso St and East 6th Ave, one block from the bridge over the US/Mexico border. A young man picked up the tube and walked toward the bridge. I drove around the block to try to see where he would go and got one more photograph of him crossing the street.

Date/ Title	Notes
Tuesday November 26th Open the Door to Immigration Reform Test #3.4	As in the previous incarnations of this test I placed two doorstops under doors within one block of the bridge over the US/MX border. Both doorstops were placed around 5:30 pm as darkness approached. I have not returned to these locations to see if the doorstops are still in use.

Date/ Title	Notes
Wednesday November 27th Line intervention #4	For this intervention I used corn meal which is heavier than flour. I made a line across Kansas St. again in nearly the same spot as the week before. This time, on one side of the line “Open” was written and on the other side “Cerrado.”

Date/ Title	Notes
Thursday November 28th Immigration Reform Test # Flag Intervention	For this Thanksgiving Day intervention 25 pink and orange flags were installed on the lawn outside of the Mexican Consulate at around 4:00 pm. Half of the flags said “Thanksgiving for Immigration Reform” in English, half said “accion de gracias por la reforma migratoria” in Spanish. I have not been back to see if the flags are still in place.

November Project 2013 Week Five

Date/ Title	Notes
Friday November 29th Text Intervention	For this intervention I installed at about 2:00 am a laminated paper text on the fence of a construction site along Dyer Road near the intersection with Diana Drive that said “Workers have power” in English and Spanish . I have not been back to check on this intervention.

Date/ Title	Notes
Saturday November 30th Binational Worker for Immigration Reform intervention	I placed the “Binational Worker for Immigration Reform“on a park bench near the corner of Campbell and Seventh Streets and tied the worker to the bench using thin twine. On December 2nd I drove by and the "Binational Worker” was gone with no sign of him ever being there.