Cross the Razor: border fence with artist's vans on either side

Terry Allen's project, "Cross the Razor/Cruzar la navaja," was located on both sides of the US-Mexico border fence. Working to establish some sort of platform for communication across the fence, Allen's proposal for a public exchange of words and music evolved from two stationary free-speech areas to two mobile units. Two vans were outfitted with wooden platforms, microphones, amplifiers, and translators, one for each side of the border. For the duration of the project the two vans met at various points along the border fence near Playas de Tijuana and Border Field State Park; and an open invitation was extended to all to climb onto the vans and communicate by any means to listeners on the other side. - inSITE94

• 1994

• Rittermann, Philipp Scholz (American photographer, 1955 CE-)

• Allen, Terry (American conceptual artist and musician, born 1943)

• InSITE94

This image is a scan of a 35mm color slide from the InSite Archive (MSS 707, Box 309, Folder 01, Item 022)

Border Field State Park

Tijuana, Playas de, Baja California Norte, Mexico

vans (cargo vehicles); podiums (platforms); wood (plant material); amplifiers; microphones; ladders

• InSITE94

• Mexican-American border region

• Fences
• Installations (visual works)
• Sculpture (visual work)

• Border art
• Boundaries
• Communication (function)
• Language
• Performance art
• Public speaking

• image

Shared Shelf: 16715303

Online finding aid

• inSite Archive

Performing Arts (including Performance Art)

[Title, Date]. InSite Archive. MSS 707. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.

Unknown (US)

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2020-10-27