Experiences of the Common Good: inSite/Casa Gallina, a Project Immersed in a Neighborhood proposes a means of reflection on community action through platforms and strategies related to art. It is based on the experiences lived in and through inSite/Casa Gallina, the sixth version of inSite, which was undertaken over the last five years in the Santa María la Ribera neighborhood Experiences of in Mexico City. The book includes commissioned texts from: María Berríos, Jesús Carrillo, Joshua Decter, Nina Möntmann and Víctor Palacios; the inSite/Casa Gallina team; and neighbors and participants at the house and its activities. This set of essays, images and materials seeks to stimulate deliberation on strategies and approaches to community the Common Good dynamics and situations induced by institutional platforms; it uses inSite/Casa Gallina as an example of local working practices. colaboración.the results (projects), Aunque butlos proyectosalso of the buscan subjective la transfor- Un“Casa testigo Gallina en isel thetiempo: most recent edition of inSite, an art mación,experience lo hacen of those a partir participating de la cotidianidad, in the collaborative como puede Georgeprogram Yúdice held five comenta times betweensobre inSite/Casa 1992 and Gallina 2005 within seractivity. la cocina Although (intercambio the projects y experimentación seek to achieve de recetas), an 80-kilometer corridor along the San Diego–Tijuana latransformation, organización dethey los do pequeños so on the comerciantes basis of everyday del barrio, life, Casa“border Gallina between es la the edición USA másand Mexico.reciente At de Casa inSite, Gallina, un lasuch recuperación as cooking de (exchanging los carteles and tradicionales experimenting pintados with a programawhich was de launched arte que in tuvo 2013 5 edicionesand whose entre edition 1992 ends y manorecipes), [...] organizationTodos los proyectos of local -shopkeepers, tanto aquellos revival en los que 2005in 2018, en theun corredorinitiatives de are 80 developed kilómetros in en one la particularfrontera San seof traditionalcolabora con hand-painted artistas y los signs... otros Allen theque projects, los curadores those Diego,neighborhood, EUA-Tijuana-México. Santa María la En Ribera, Casa aGallina, hub of quehybrid arranca creanthat involve plataformas working para with satisfacer artists as los well intereses as others de in los enpubl 2013ic life y in cuyathe megalopolisedición cerrará of Mexico en 2018, City por. C asacontraste, Gallina se vecinoswhich the - tienen curators un createaspecto platforms heurístico. to meet[...] residents’ elaboranfulfills a dual las iniciativasrole: as a placeen un tobarrio house particular, processes Santa of María needs, have a heuristic side. ...” laparticipation Ribera, un innodo the deneighborhood, la vida pública and híbrida as a residenceen la megaló- Los proyectos son muy variados pero tienen en común el polisfor artists de la whoCiudad work de with México. the local Casa people. Gallina All cumple of this un is hecho“The projects de que arelos veryartistas diverse, no llegan but what con lathey idea have de susin dobleundertaken rol: como outside lugar the para scope abrigar of the procesos conventional de participa- art proyectoscommon is de that antemano. the artists La don’t idea comedebe surgirwith the en ideas el for ciónworld en ... laThe vecindad, meeting y spaces como residencia include a kitchenpara artistas garden que / procesotheir projects de colaboración. worked out Otroin advance. fundamento The ideas del modus have to colaboranurban farm, con a kitchen los vecinos, open todo to local fuera residents, del alcance a space del for operandiemerge from de inSite/ the process Casa Gallinaof collaboration. es la voluntad Another de crearbasic mundoideas to del be arte exchanged convencional. and developed [...] Los espacios by artists de and encuen- their unprinciple ambiente of the de modustrabajo operandi fuera del of mundo inSite/Casa del arte Gallina moderno inSite/Casa Gallina, a Project Immersed in Neighborhood trocollaborators, incluyen una another huerta space / agricultura for technical urbana, workshops, una cocina capitalista:is the desire es to decir, create sin a visibilidad, working atmosphere espectáculo, outside público, abiertaand a further a los residentes open space del devoted barrio, unto accumulatingespacio para eland producción,the world of calendario,capitalist modern dinero, art:lo cual in other no quiere words, decir with que intercambioexchanging deknowledge ideas y su produced elaboración by carrying por los outartistas projects y losno visibility,proyectos show, no puedan audience, colaborar production, o incluso schedule, emerger or de susand colaboradores,programs. ...” otro espacio para talleres técnicos, y losmoney—which emprendimientos doesn’t locales. mean thatLas obrasthe projects y performances can’t otro espacio abierto dedicado a la acumulación y el quecollaborate resultan with de lasor evencolaboraciones emerge from sí selocal montan enterprises.” con los intercambio“It’s not a “community de conocimientos house,” reinforcing producidos the por identity la realiza- of colaboradores para su propio disfrute y, además, los ciónthe community—which de proyectos y programas. would mean conforming to a police artistasGeorge tienen Yúdice la, “Towardslibertad de a Newllevar Institutional las obras que Paradigm,” crean a principle in Rancièrean terms—precisely because the partirAtlántica de lasJournal colaboraciones of Art and aThought espacios 59 de (2017). exhibición. Nointention se trata is tode keep una casaopen comunitaria, the potential en not la onlycual ofse fortale- cería la identidad de la comunidad – lo cual corresponde- Georgewww.insite.org.mx Yùdice en: Hacia un nuevo paradigma institucio- ría a acomodarse a un principio policial, en términos nal,facebook: México: Casa 2017. Gallina ranciereanos, precisamente porque se busca mantener abierta la potencialidad no sólo de los resultados (proyec- tos), sino también la subjetividad de los participantes en la inSite/Casa Gallina, Experiences of the Common Good: a Project Immersed in a Neighborhood First edition: 2018 Published to mark the completion of inSite/Casa Gallina, the sixth version of inSite This publication is an inSite/Casa Gallina curatorial platform Editor: Pablo Lafuente Experiences of Editorial project: Osvaldo Sánchez and Josefa Ortega in collaboration with Pablo Lafuente and the inSite/Casa Gallina team Editorial coordinator: Josefa Ortega the Common Good Design and Production: Luis Miguel Leon Texts by: Rosa Elba Camacho (R.C.), Violeta Celis (V.C.), David Hernández (D.H.), Josefa Ortega (J.O.), Osvaldo Sánchez (O.S.), Rodrigo Simancas (R.S.), María Berríos, Jesús Carrillo, Joshua Decter, Pablo Lafuente, Nina Möntmann and Víctor Palacios inSite/Casa Gallina, Conversations: Pablo Lafuente with Carmen Cuenca/Michael Krichman a Project Immersed in a Neighborhood and Josefa Ortega/Osvaldo Sánchez Photography: Luis Gómez, except for pp. 163 and 205 in which the images belong to the artist responsible for each project, and 104 to Enrique Arriaga Cover illustration: Joze Daniel Translations from Spanish to English: Liz Mason-Deese, except pp. 23-43, 129-131, 137-143, that were originally written in English Translation from German to English: Nicholas Grindell pp.233-247 Copy editor: Neil Pyatt © Of the texts, the authors © Of the photographs, the listed authors; and of the illustrations, the neighbors referenced © The contents can be used as an open source for strictly educational purposes, without modifications, with explicit reference to the inSite/Casa Gallina project, and lwaysa mentioning the author inSite/Casa Gallina A.C. Sabino ı90 Col. Santa María la Ribera, México 06400 www.insite.org.mx / Facebook Casa Gallina Edited by Pablo Lafuente in collaboration Installation Gallery (inSite US) with the inSite/Casa Gallina team P.O. Box 2552. San Diego, California 92ı0ı www.insiteart.org Printed in Mexico by Offset Santiago ISBN: 978-0-9642554-1-8 Index Telling the Story Facebook Marvelous Network Imaginaries: Wanderlust Casa Gallina: Nesting 7 of inSite/Casa Gallina 71 Casa Gallina 105 Economy 153 Neighborhood Affects 182 Ana María Millán 210 the Imaginary Pablo Lafuente Victor Palacios and the Politics of Vocabulary Locality Vestiges Forged Words, 72 Josefa Ortega and Osvaldo Sánchez 184 Rafiki Sánchez 14 Hosting of Belonging 122 Green Network: The 215 Neighborhood Change Power of Seeds Dialogues We Are More Than Local Knowledges: Unbraiding 158 Damián Ontiveros A Vegetable Garden, 91 Just Those Who You Newsletters Defending 188 Expanding 19 a Classroom See Here 127 the Environment 221 Mnemonic Matter: The the Network inSite/Casa Gallina Team 190 Cultivated Visions: The New Territories: Accompaniment: Law of the Similar Niches for Temporary 20 Oswaldo Ruiz Home Vegetable Garden Dialogues on Display 129 A Wager without a 162 Unfolding 225 Get Togethers 93 Paths as a Work of Art Spectacle? Collective Mapping A House Is a Neighbor- Michael Krichman Shared 194 Iconoclasistas 23 hood, a Neighborhood Universe 4-Zoo 1 and Carmen Cuenca The Wheel Bears No 227 Futures Is a House 95 A Cabinet of the 163 Resemblance To a Leg Mestizo Joshua Decter Animal Kindgom The Wake of Erick Meyenberg 132 196 Omar Gámez Withdrawal into the Neighborhood Learning 233 Public Sphere ... Open Table: A Minimal Botanical 45 Tropical Depression Collaborative Nina Möntmann Creating Bonds 96 Atlas of Santa María Edgardo Aragón Mending Holes with 168 200 Sculpture