Language Justice & Temporary Collective

June 10, 2017

Antena Los Angeles (LA) and Relaciones Inesperadas (Tijuana) offered two workshops that reimagined the border by using tools of the language justice and anti-, cross-, contra- conceptualizations of the border. In their workshop, Antena Los Angeles provided a basic overview of language justice principles and practices. Participants experienced language justice in action during a bilingual artmaking workshop facilitated in Spanish by Relaciones Inesperadas, with interpretation. In the workshop titled USB: Universo Simbolico Bordezio / Universe Symbolically Bordered, participants, with Relaciones Inesperadas, created a number of bilingual image-text works with the idea of broadening the concept of “border” as a temporary collectivity.

Antena Los Ángeles (LA) y Relaciones Inesperadas (Tijuana) ofrecieron dos talleres que reimaginaron la frontera utilizando herramientas de la justicia del lenguaje y las contraconceptualizaciones, cruces y contraconceptualizaciones de la frontera. En su taller, Antena Los Ángeles brindó una descripción básica de los principios y prácticas de la justicia del lenguaje. Luego, los participantes experimentaron la justicia del lenguaje en acción durante un taller de creación de arte bilingüe facilitado en español por Relaciones Inesperadas, con interpretación. En el taller USB: Universo Simbolico Bordezio / Universe Symbolically Bordered, los participantes, con Relaciones Inesperadas, crearon una serie de obras bilingües imagen-texto, con la idea de ampliar el concepto de “frontera” como colectividad temporal. 

BIO

Relaciones Inesperadas is a team of two artists, Ingrid Hernández and Abraham Ávila. Through educational programs, interventions, and art projects, they research the structures that embody the border dynamics between Mexico and the United States, with the goal of transgressing, imagining, and reflecting new strategies for living in these zones.

Antena Los Ángeles—dedicated to language justice advocacy and organizing in Los Angeles—is a four-person collective consisting of Ana Paula Noguez Mercado, Betty Marín, Jen Hofer, and José Eduardo Sánchez. Together we work with individuals and groups doing interpretation, translation, and workshops on language justice and interpreting for the social justice context. Language justice is based on the idea that everyone has the right to speak in the language in which we feel most comfortable, and in the commitment to create bi/multilingual spaces where no language will dominate over any other. We believe that language justice is an integral part of social justice.