Brick by Brick - Bosco Sodi's MURO

I spent a good deal of yesterday at an art exhibition at the USF Contemporary Art Museum called MURO by the artist Bosco Sodi. As the museum describes it, "The project expands upon Sodi's ongoing interest in organic processes beyond the artist's control. The impermanent nature of MURO underscored that all objects have the potential to be dismantled through united forces."

After several conversations with Bosco, I learned that what began as a political statement in New York City, then London, evolved into something that encompassed the barriers, or walls, created collectively in political, economic and social arenas and in individual emotional and mental conditions, that are most often built "brick by brick" over time, and can be just as easily and permanently disassembled brick by brick over time, rather than broken through in an instant. As the day wore on, I became more and more focused on the construct of MURO and the unique voice of both the complete wall and the individual bricks, each made by an artisan in Oaxaca, Mexico, who lent a part of her or his voice to each brick. In the end, the wall was dismantled and the bricks were disseminated among the visitors, the participants, of the exhibition. We each took home a brick that carried it's own message as part of the collective that was the wall and the voice that was imparted into that particular brick. My friend, Keren, happened upon the exhibition yesterday afternoon and I'd like to thank her for the time we spent examining so many of the bricks and sharing what each of us "heard" from each  one. Keren was one of the few people I interacted with who I sensed felt, rather than simply heard, the message Bosco was conveying through this art piece. It was heartwarming. And, of course, I'd also like to thank Bosco Sodi, who brought such an insightful and provocative message to us.

The Wall

After revisiting this article, I realized that this photo is much cooler than I first thought. The wall is leaning slightly in one direction, while the woman in the background is leaning in the opposite direction, as though in counterbalance. I wonder if this was a subconscious reaction.

  

The Journey

Bosco informed us that the bricks were all trucked into the U.S. by a route commonly used by migrants passing through Mexico in their journey to seek asylum here.

 

The Disassembly

Eric Jonas, Curator Associate/Preparator,USF Contemporary Art Museum

 

The hole I left when I dug down to my special brick.

My Brick

Bosco pointed this one out to me because of the tree-like pattern you see here. It was near the center of the wall, at the very bottom row. In the end, I was glad for that because it gave me much more time to communicate with so many of the bricks above it.

My Letter of Ownership, signed by Bosco