Directed and Produced by Joelle Mercedes
Audio: "Sovereign" by Joelle Mercedes
**additional audio selected by Jared Brown**

Several Collisions in an Origin (02/27/2018)

HEART/BREAK is a piece of wearable art and a corresponding mixtape inspired by the binational sound-scape that emerged between Baja and Alta California in the 1960s through radio and popular music. Stations like XERB 1090AM broadcast "oldies" throughout Southern California from radio towers located in Mexico. As a result, youth in Tijuana were also able to tune-in to listen, and bands along the border began producing cover versions of the songs they heard on the radio with lyrics re-written in Spanish. The popularity of this music lived on well into the early 80s, when women's social clubs in Tijuana were still organizing dances with themes such as "low-rider dance" -- exemplifying the ways in which culture can defy and transcend political borders and boundaries.

The design draws from this rich history, mobilizing the lyrics of these songs as a form of "readymade" political speech and commentary: issuing an affective cry against immigration and border enforcement policies, which have transformed the US/Mexico border region into a site of tragedy and heartache. 

The piece was commissioned by L.I.B.R.O.S. – an organization dedicated to the improvement of all library and information services to the growing number of Chicano/Latinos and Spanish-speaking people in San Diego County.

You can learn about the collaboration and find details for acquiring the piece here: https://sandiegolibros.bigcartel.com/

Misael Diaz's Album

[1] Heart/Break

Somos un colectivo de arte binacional analizando e intentando transformar el tipo de intercambio social, cultural y económico que ocurre a través de la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México por medio de la cultura popular.

//

We are a binational art collective analyzing and seeking to transform the types of social, cultural and economic exchanges that occur across the U.S.-Mexico border through popular culture.

[1] Heart/Break

©© | Cog•nate Collective

Related tracks