AMBOS / TJ

AMBOS (Art Made Between Opposite Sides) serves as an idea lab for international creative collaboration. Through artist interventions and commuter collaborations that address bi-national transition and identity, AMBOS seeks to create a greater sense of interconnectedness in the border region while simultaneously documenting the border artisan market scheduled for demolition (seen here on the right).

Artist coordinators include Tanya Aguiniga (LA/TJ), Cog*nate Collective (LA/SD/TJ), Relaciones Inesperadas (TJ), Ingrid Hernandez (TJ) with Peter Wisse (Netherlands), POLEN [Adriana Trujillo and Jose Inerzia] (TJ) and Isabel Gil Gomez + Pablo Martinez Zarate + Juan Alberto Apodaca (Mexico City).

Tanya Aguiñiiga's Border Quipu project involved a team of volunteers who gave two pieces of string to commuters waiting in line to cross the border and are asked them to tie the strings into a knot.

Photo: Tanya Aguiñiga

The knots were collected and added to a large scale quipu to that was displayed on a billboard at the border. The strings represent Mexico and the US on either side of the border and our mental state while crossing. Border Quipu will be exhibited at Pacific Standard Time next year.

The closing party took place on the Tijuana side of the border crossing. Mariachis played between car lanes, food, art talks and DJ's all happened in and around the soon to be demolished border artisan marketplace. 

It's usually not a good thing to be stuck at the border for hours, so having the closing party at the border was a surreal experience.  

Moisés Horta Valenzuela recorded audio at the border for sound installations.

There is a great article by Alex Zaragoza about the entire AMBOS project in the LA Weekly.

Photo: AMBOS