On September 20th, 2013 from 11:30-12:30 pm, I took litho crayon rubbings of the bronze Seals of the Great United States of America at the San Ysidro/Tijuana Border. This process required a series of exchanges between Customs and Border protection staff to receive clearance to loiter and to use documentation within the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Accompanied by Angelica Decima, a Customs police officer, we entered the Port of Entry in reverse, through the US exit, walking against the tide of people waiting to enter the United States. This crowd became the audience for the hour long process of the rubbing.
Ultimately, Angelica, the border guard became my collaborator, operating the camera and assisting me materials. Ostensibly I was given permission to document and loiter in the port of entry for my “historic” project but in reality, the project also granted me the opportunity to document the port of entry from a human scale, a site that to my knowledge has only been recorded by national security and cell phones. The project now lives in the form of the rubbings, the video, and in the memories of the people who encountered the event.
Thanks to Ren Ebel and Angelica Decima