Class 11. Nov 13: Delicia Alarcon The Body, The Earth, & Resistance

dda8357@nyu.edu

The imagery from Regina José Galindo makes the body a visceral site of pain, torture, and experiences that are not healthy. The idea that people are indispensable and could be thrown away. Desechables. The deep reckoning is viewing these individuals as human beings. In Presente! Diana Taylor states, “the performance is all about proportion and scale, the smallness of the human, the vulnerability of the earth, the magnitude of the crime” (107). The earth, the land, the body, and the human operate together in order to make her body present. I loved the close up of her face and how unflinching she was with the inevitable closeness of the camera and the looming tractor digging the earth. Her face and eyes give a glimpse into the emotional state of her mind and the materiality of her body. I instantly thought of what is happening globally today in Palestine when images surface of individuals resisting the occupation. This quote, “their fate is bound to that of their land” (107) is so timely with Regina’s work as well as collectively in Palestine and any other community that is facing land displacement. The use of Earth and Tierra indicates how oppression and military regimes work. The oppressors deprive the people of their land, their source of vitality and livelihood. We are seeing this operate in real time today. And this book and these performances are so timely to remind us that with a small act of presence we too can make a difference. Another poignant piece from this week’s readings is the performance of Carry your Dead with Hemispheric Institute. This also explores the notions of memory and the relationship between the body, landscape, and politics. The image of no perdemos nada con nacer and Regina is what appears to be in a plastic bag in the dumpster area reminds of how people view human beings as not worthy of life. This imagery really impacted me because it’s a simple display of how people are treated – like literal garbage. The images of throwing and disposing of bodies in the literal earth, garbage bags, and ocean in some cases illustrate the deep separation that is fueled by oppression. How these acts of violence target the body, mind, and land in order to rattle the nervous system and scare these individuals. Thus, reclaiming the body and its nervous system is truly an act of resistance and deeply healing.

Class 11. Nov 13: Delicia Alarcon The Body, The Earth, & Resistance

dda8357@nyu.edu

The imagery from Regina José Galindo makes the body a visceral site of pain, torture, and experiences that are not healthy. The idea that people are indispensable and could be thrown away. Desechables. The deep reckoning is viewing these individuals as human beings. In Presente! Diana Taylor states, “the performance is all about proportion and scale, the smallness of the human, the vulnerability of the earth, the magnitude of the crime” (107). The earth, the land, the body, and the human operate together in order to make her body present. I loved the close up of her face and how unflinching she was with the inevitable closeness of the camera and the looming tractor digging the earth. Her face and eyes give a glimpse into the emotional state of her mind and the materiality of her body. I instantly thought of what is happening globally today in Palestine when images surface of individuals resisting the occupation. This quote, “their fate is bound to that of their land” (107) is so timely with Regina’s work as well as collectively in Palestine and any other community that is facing land displacement. The use of Earth and Tierra indicates how oppression and military regimes work. The oppressors deprive the people of their land, their source of vitality and livelihood. We are seeing this operate in real time today. And this book and these performances are so timely to remind us that with a small act of presence we too can make a difference. Another poignant piece from this week’s readings is the performance of Carry your Dead with Hemispheric Institute. This also explores the notions of memory and the relationship between the body, landscape, and politics. The image of no perdemos nada con nacer and Regina is what appears to be in a plastic bag in the dumpster area reminds of how people view human beings as not worthy of life. This imagery really impacted me because it’s a simple display of how people are treated – like literal garbage. The images of throwing and disposing of bodies in the literal earth, garbage bags, and ocean in some cases illustrate the deep separation that is fueled by oppression. How these acts of violence target the body, mind, and land in order to rattle the nervous system and scare these individuals. Thus, reclaiming the body and its nervous system is truly an act of resistance and deeply healing.