Production of Space
Installation view, “Tlatelolco and the localized negotiation of future imaginaries,” February 27-May 6, 2008, Museum as Hub, New Museum, NY. Photo: Alison Brady
Production of Space
Artist: Tatiana Bilbao
Production of Space, 2008
Research
Private collection
Tatiana Bilbao’s proposal explores notions of public and private space in Tlatelolco. The housing complex was originally built and administered by the government, which was in charge of maintaining its public spaces: the parks, community centers, cinemas, and other communal structures that were built as part of its master plan. Over the last several decades, the apartments have been privatized and government responsibility for maintaining the site has decreased, resulting in the deterioration of the majority of these communal areas. The site includes numerous police surveillance stations, currently owned by the Secretary of Public Security, that are no longer used. Bilbao’s project proposes the restructuring of six of these stations, removing their roofs and filling their interiors with sensual, playful materials, such as plants, mirrors or geometric forms. Her project seeks to inspire Tlatelolco´s inhabitants to reoccupy structures in their neighborhood, reactivating them as open, democratic spaces.
