On March 8, 2013, in honor of International Women’s Day, the Centro Hemisférico invited the community of San Cristóbal de las Casas to the steps of la Iglesia de Guadalupe for a poetic urban intervention centered on Chiapanecan poet Mirtha Luz Pérez Robledo’s work Ésta que soy. For more on the Centro Hemisférico’s work using art to denounce femicide in Chiapas, see my article Can Art Stop Murder? Ni Una Más in Chiapas, Mexico Is Trying on Bitch Media.
Ésta que soy by Mirtha Luz Pérez Robledo.
Ésta que soy was designed to be interactive and participatory. Centro Hemisférico director Doris Difarnecio explains how we will put the art installation together.
Participants formed small groups, attaching one line of poetry to each church step.
Lead organizer Grace Remington quietly directs/documents/energizes.
In my interview with the Centro Hemisférico prior to the event, Grace explained how the simple act of writing–even tracing–creates a more meaningful experience for participants.
We were encouraged to partner with new people as we worked our way down the steps. This simple act of interaction and collaboration enhanced the action’s sense of community spirit.
The action was both solemn and joyful.
Everyone got in the spirit!
The poem comes together.
Grace overlooks the poem’s closing lines.
When we finished the poem, we decorated the steps with flowers and candles.
Poetry reading.
The father of Itzel Janet Méndez Pérez shares: “I know that Itzel is here with us today.”
Women’s rights attorney and activist Martha Figueroa talks about the importance of International Women’s Day: “The revolution will be feminist or it will not be!”
A moving day for Doris.
Ésta que soy.
As the sun set, the action became a vigil.
Ni una más.
