Woodbury University Hollywood Outpost’s next show of the Fall 2017 series, Attending Limits, opens on Thursday, November 9th, at 6:00pm. The exhibition presents the international boundary of the United States and Mexico through a history of its material artifacts and the modes of representation they have motivated.
Attending Limits: The Constitution and Upkeep of the US–Mexico Border
Thursday, November 9th, 2017 at 6:00pm
6518 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90028
277 obelisk monuments mark the US–Mexico boundary line. Constructed in three distinct phases (1849–1856, 1891–1912, and 1964–1968), these monuments were the product of territorial negotiations, disputes that were settled ranging from the violent expansion of sovereign limits to the shifting course of a historic boundary river. Commissioned, inscribed, and placed by both the United States and Mexico, they served as unique bilateral artifacts that operated across and reflected on separate territories, forms of settlement, and philosophies of nationhood. Through the display of original text, animation, photographs, scale models, and maps, Attending Limits theoretically frames an evolution of the US–Mexico border from single line to geopolitical territory.
In an effort to bring together a community of architects, artists, and academics working with the US-Mexico border, as well as to place the exhibition in dialogue with the broader scope of work being done on the region, a public conversation is scheduled for the opening. Referencing the exhibition’s focus on material objects and their relation to geopolitics, participants are invited to present and discuss one “artifact” of the US-Mexico border that is specific to their work.
Artifacts may include:
– Architectural work from professional practice
– Archival documents
– Products from an academic studio or university-led research project
– Exhibition material
– Art images or objects
Format:
To begin, participants will briefly introduce their individual artifacts (3-5 minutes) and the relevance of these artifacts to their professional practices or projects. Artifacts may be presented as physical objects or projected as still images. A moderated conversation will follow. The aim is to establish a dialogue between the diverse modes of scholarly practice and material production that is currently based on and emerging from the US-Mexico border region. The total length of the event is projected to be between 60
and 90 minutes.
Exhibition design by Departamento del Distrito with Azusa Kobayashi and Julia Novitch. Attending Limits is supported by a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. The project is organized by Nathan Friedman.
The show will run through Sunday, November 26, 2017. Gallery hours: Thursdays 1:00–8:00 p.m.; Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays 1:00–6:00 p.m.
About WUHO
Located on the iconic Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame, the Woodbury University Hollywood gallery (WUHO) provides a welcoming space for multi-disciplinary, boundary-crossing collaboration that supports the study and practice of the design disciplines. WUHO is committed to hosting exhibitions that reposition important voices in architecture and design often overlooked by mainstream sources. In a city that notably does not have a permanent architecture collection in any of its major museums, WUHO provides a venue for emerging designers who would not otherwise have an opportunity to publicly display work. Woodbury University has occupied this 7500 square foot storefront and studio space since 1995 and provides free gallery programming throughout the year.
Download the event flyer here.