“Floating Lab Collective” is a group of metropol- group that expands and contracts in size depend-

itan DC-based artists working collectively on per- ing on the piece to be executed.
formances, media art and research. The main idea The pieces are labeled as (e)xperiments, and they
is to expand the space of art into public space and focus on different aspects of our society (political,
to expand the discourse about contemporary art. economic, social, etc...)
The participating artists are a dynamic and flexible
www.floatinglabcollective.org
The first project of the group is titled “Protest- street or by people remotely through the Internet
ing on Demand”. The main idea is to institu- – by anyone that wants to voice concern. A web
tionalize the act of protesting, which normally is page www.floatinglabcollective.org was created
something that is very fluid and improvised (in its to collect national and international concerns and
choreographic sense). In this collective perfor- stand points that they would like to
mance the act of protesting becomes serialized, voice in one of the most important “loci” of the
and aesthetisized through a series of actions. But world; Washington DC.
the protest is also an accessible and participatory
act, contextual to the city of Washington. The main idea is to create a platform to voice dis-
course and people’s concerns from a variety of
The protests are being staged in 4 locations in the people and concerns inside the social fabric.
DC area - each group will be distinguished by dif-
ferent colors using the subway color system. Each The 4 groups on the street will be linked to the
group involves 4 artists, and each artist will ac- gallery (the floating office) through messengers,
complish a specific task, from engaging the pub- who will be collecting the documentation hourly,
lic to documenting the protest. The idea is that in the form of video, digital photo, sound record-
each group will create placards and slogans with ing and the log of the project. This “floating office”
will be composed of 4 artists. The “floating office”
the protest initiator or promoter. The protest initia-
tor could be someone on the street or it could be will have a printer, computers to edit, and they will
feedback obtained from the webpage associated continually be updating the web page.
with the project (which is accessible during the The documentation will continually be posted and
displayed in the gallery, with video projectors and
performance). The initiator or promoter will receive
feedback through the Internet. prints. The work will be constantly shifting and
evolving during the execution of the performance,
Each protest will be held for 3 minutes and they to amplify the idea of urgency, immediacy and
can be about anything. The content of the protests overall importance.
will be provided by people that are walking on the
Protesting on Demand / Project prepared for TRANSITIOMX in Mexico City.

[ Documentation of video cabin in Mexico City ]

The Floating Museum (brief description)

The floating lab museum, is a moving museum In that context parking lots around the sub-
created from a transformed “step Van” (1) (2). This urbs have become serialized and active common
moving museum will act as a platform to link the ground for a diverse population, parking lots are
periphery with the center. For that purpose some a landscape for subgroups to meet. One example
contemporary issues are emphasized, such as is the food service step vans that park in some
access--in the sense of exclusion and inclusion; a parking lots in Manassas and Langley Park (3) to
critique of the role of the art institution as the ex- sell food for a period of time, then move to a differ-
clusive delivery platform of art; and the construc- ent location. The van makes several stops in the
tion of images from the standpoint of how we cre- periphery, normally where there is a major con-
ate an image that is relevant to the discourse of centration of Latino population.
the social fabric in the suburbs.
This project will also absorb various visual refer-
The idea is to work in parking lots in the suburbs. ences found in the city landscape, like the people
The reason to work in these spaces is because on the corner distributing announcements (4), the
parking has become a “nomadic space”, as De- sandwich board people (5), and flower sellers at
leuze described: “The organization of a nomadic stop lights (6). All these jobs are normally executed
group is not imposed from above by a transcen- by minorities. This placard will become a canvas
dent command. So we can consider Nomadic to re-articulate discourses and construct collec-
Space, not as a space with intrinsic properties tive meaning.
that then determine relations, but as a space with
extrinsic properties; the space is produced from
the movements that give that space its peculiar
quality.”
Art in Mobility (the Floating Museum)

In a society of constant displacement, how do art Public Spaces

institutions adapt? How does urban mobility trans- Public spaces in DC are static and resistant to ad-
form public space? How can art institutions design aptation. Nevertheless, immigrant communities in
actions to incorporate a society in movement? the periphery have concentrated according to re-
How can they create a place within this space, gion of origin, and effected changes in their new
and a role in the periphery? How are sub-societies environments. Immigration has become a catalyst
connected in the urban periphery? for the recreation of public space in the Washing-
ton DC area. The diaspora environment exists as
The Floating Museum was born out of the “Floating a comfortable and familiar space for participation,
Lab Collective,” a group of artists in the Washing- empowerment, adaptation, and/or transformation.
ton DC metropolitan area, who find the scope for
their reflection and creation within public spaces. Floating Museum/Mobil Media
The Floating Museum was conceived as a mobile The Museum is a response to urban mobility and
space derived from our experiences in the context the concept of the “commuter,” specific to the met-
of the city. ropolitan area of Washington DC. The Floating
Museum symbolically transforms a truck, normally
The Collective sees “mobility” as existing in the used for selling tacos, into a moving museum. It
context of the Washington DC metropolitan area functions under the premises of accessibility, par-
within certain socio-economic parameters. First, ticipation, pertinence, roaming, and integration of
mobility is a key component of the immigrant con- displaced communities. The Floating Museum dis-
dition. The very presence of immigrants provokes perses ideas, constantly adapting itself to the ur-
a series of social and spatial movements, and their ban environment. It moves concepts from abstrac-
movements transform the urban landscape. Some tion into tangible form, becoming a platform for the
examples of immigrant adaptation include taco interchange of experiences.
trucks and pupuseria trucks that move between
construction sites, foot paths created by immigrant
commuters where sidewalks are not provided, and
community centers that form a nucleus of social
services and programs. In addition to exploring
the effects of immigrant mobility in the city, we ex-
amine “commuter culture.” Commuting from the
suburbs can be seen as a reactive perception of
urban spaces as aggressive and troubled. Com-
muter movements such as traffic patterns have
transformed the structure of time and space in the
city.

Urban Structure
As the city is decentralized into sub-centers, the
ideas of city, center, and periphery are absorbed
into the idea of “metropolization.” Particularly vis-
ible is the adaptation of public space in zones
mainly populated by Latino immigrants. These
communities fragment their relationship with the
center, only maintaining connection economically
through their jobs.
43.5 actions in Usonia / Part 1

435 are the current fixed number of members of the particular New World character of the Ameri-
the United States House of Representatives. Each can landscape as distinct and free of previous ar-
state receives representation in the House propor- chitectural conventions.”
tional to its population but is entitled to at least one (Wright: Architecture: Selected Writings 1894-
representative. 435 members represent the nation, 1940, p. 100.) Wright uses this term in the deep
which proportionally synthesizes the population of conviction that a culture or an individual should
the nation in terms of identity, politics, concerns, proceed integrally from its core or roots, “out of
etc. 435 are the number of citizens invested with the ground and into the light.”
popular power to decide and influence the direc-
tion of the nation. The 43.5 actions in Usonia Part 1, is a series of
As a collective we were looking for alternatives to actions attempting to explore and participate with-
establish a horizontal dialogue, to develop a plat- in the social fabric around the beltway of Washing-
form of participation, begin a collaboration, and ton DC in places where the sense of exclusion be-
create an interface with different communities. Our comes prevalent. The actions are, in most cases,
proposition has two major components, one was the result of collective discussions between mem-
the creation of a mobile space that provokes inte- bers of a specific community and members of the
gration and itinerancy that interfaces with different Floating Lab Collective. In other cases the Float-
communities. This mobile space is our “Floating ing Lab Collective planned a public action inde-
Museum”, created from a former taco truck which pendently from the community to address issues
we converted into a museum. The second aspect of local or national interest. Sometimes the use of
of the project is a series of art actions to be ex- humor or estrangement was invoked to trigger dia-
ecuted in collaboration with different communi- logical exchanges as the resulting action.
ties. The actions were designed to talk about local
and national issues, ranging from migration, gen-
der discrimination, exclusion, labor, community
exchange, memory, etc. This series of actions is
entitled ‘43.5 actions in Usonia’, the number of ac-
tions, 43.5, being a symbolic response to the 435
States House of Representatives.

The term Usonia, was popularized by the Ameri-

can architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The term was
originally coined by James Duff Law, as an act to
liberate the use of the gentilic “American”.

“We of the United States, in justice to Canadians

and Mexicans, have no right to use the title ‘Ameri-
cans’ when referring to matters pertaining exclu-
sively to ourselves.” (Law 1903: Here and There in
Two Hemispheres)

For Lloyd “Usonia” was the name for the reformed

American society. “His vision for the landscape of
the United States, including the planning of cities
and the architecture of buildings. Wright proposed
the use of the adjective Usonian in place of Ameri-
can to describe
The American Landscape of Dreams
“Latino Day Laborers Cross Cultural Borders”

This project was a collaboration between Latino Day laborers, like all immigrants, come to the US
day laborers from the Baltimore area, CASA de in search of opportunity for themselves and their
Maryland, and the Floating Lab Collective. This families. The project provided an opportunity for
collective public art action served as a platform to immigrant day laborers, often intimidated by lan-
discuss and address issues of participation, inte- guage or cultural barriers, to interact directly with
gration, access and inclusion of the laborers in the the community around them through a visual rep-
Baltimore community. Through the construction of resentation of their dreams. After completion, the
miniature houses, the Latino day worker commu- houses were displayed in different public locations
nity was presented with a means to represent their across Baltimore.
own aspirations. Even more significantly, they were
able to interface with the community about their
multidimensional role as community members.
Carlos (Guatemala) Eleuterio (Honduras) Filiberto (Guatemala) German (Honduras)
I built this house with the hope I built this house this way be- I was thinking that this is real- I was thinking about the pos-
of living in a similar structure. cause this is what I want my ity because this is my dream: sibility of making a house
This is the dream that brings own house to look like. I paint- to build a house. I hope to like this in my country. I put
us to this country. We are ed my house green because never lose faith in making this a porch, a chimney, a satel-
hardworking and honest peo- I love that color; I always try dream come true. The mes- lite dish, and a nice garden
ple. We came to this country to wear green shirts. I think sage I want to give people in it. I want to demonstrate
with the goal of earning mon- all other immigrants share the is to see my house. It is a to people that we came here
ey in an honest way to build a same purpose in coming here. humble little house; humble with dreams, to work hard, to
house in our home country. I We want to make our dreams like where I lived and where not just waste time. To all the
want to say thank you for let- come true; we want to build a I come from; my country is a people who don’t like us, I say
ting me create a physical rep- house for our families. I want humble country. It is a house to them to get to know us and
resentation of my hopes and to tell everybody that if one of the poor, just simple and learn about us and our hopes
dreams. has a good purpose in life, it easy to build, nothing to ex- and dreams.
can happen if we all fight to- travagant.
Construí esta casa con el deseo de vivir en gether. Yes we can! Estaba pensado sobre la posibilidad de
una estructura similar. Este es el sueño que Estaba pensando que esta es la realidad esto–de hacer algo así en mi país. Puse una
nos trae a este país. Somos personas tra- porque este es mi sueño: construir una terraza,chimenea, una antena parabólica, un
Yo construí esta casa así porque así es como
bajadoras y honestas. Venimos a este país casa. Espero nunca perder la fe y hacer este jardín bonito. Quiero demostrarle a la gente
quiero tener mi casa. Pinté mi casa de color
con la meta de ganar dinero de una manera sueño realidad. El mensaje que quiero dar a que nosotros venimos aquí con sueños,
verde porque me encanta ese color; siempre
honesta para construir una casa en nuestros la gente es simplemente que vean mi casa. para trabajar fuerte, y no perder el tiempo.
trato de usar playeras verdes. Creo que todos
países. Quiero agradecerle por dejarme hacer Es una casita humilde; humilde como donde A toda la gente que no nos quiere les digo
los inmigrantes tenemos el mismo propósito
una representación física de mis sueños y de- yo vivía, de donde yo vengo; mi país es un que nos conozcan y aprendan de nosotros de
de venir aquí. Queremos hacer que nuestros
seos. país humilde. Es una casa para los pobres, nuestros deseos y sueños.
sueños se hagan realidad; queremos constru-
ir una casa para sus familias. Yo quiero decirle es simple y fácil de construir, nada extrava-
a todos que si uno tiene un buen propósito en gante.
la vida, esto puede ser alcanzado si todos lu-
chamos juntos. ¡Si Se Puede!
Jose Antonio (El Salvador) Napoleon (Honduras) Ubaldo (Mexico) Victor (Mexico)
I built my house this way be- I designed this house like this In my country I have a house, This is how I want to build my
cause I like American houses, because my dream is to have but I want to build one just like house: not exaggerated or
and I would like to demonstrate a similar house in my country. this with an American design. small, but just right. I’m par-
this design to everybody. I in- I like this design.The colors It’s not easy to be here and ex- ticipating because I want to
tegrated building styles from are beautiful. It was a good perience financial problems. I inspire myself to make this a
the U.S. and El Salvador. I’ve idea for me to participate in want to keep participating in reality someday. This isn’t just
always liked the color white. this project. I want people to projects just like this one. I for me, but for my family. My
White means peace. Black is look at my miniature house don’t know if viewers will like family is waiting for me to be
a suitable color for the roof. and start thinking about what my miniature house. I have able to build a house for them
This structure is part of my they want their own house to two children in Mexico and I someday. I want to say thank
creativity. My message to the look like. Thank you for giving want to build them a house. I you for the opportunity to tell
viewer is that everything is me this opportunity to express am here in the U.S. because everyone about our hopes
possible with God’s support my dreams, and for helping I am supporting their educa- and dreams - about our dream
and our hard work. the Hispanic community. tion. house.

Yo construí mi casa de esta manera porque a Yo diseñé esta casa así porque mi sueño es En mi país yo tengo una casa pero yo quiero Así es como quiero construir mi casa: sin
mi me gustan las casas americanas, y porque tener una casa parecida a ésta en mi país. construir una tal como ésta con un diseño exageración sin hacerla tan pequeña, simple-
me gustaría demostrar este diseño a todos. Yo Me gusta este diseño. Los colores son bo- americano. No es fácil estar aquí y pasar mente así. Estoy participando porque quiero
utilicé estilos del Salvador y de Estados Uni- nitos. Fue una buena idea participar en este por problemas económicos. Yo quiero seguir inspirarme a hacer esto realidad algún día.
dos. Siempre me ha gustado el color blanco. proyecto. Quiero que la gente vea mi casita participando en proyectos como este. Yo no Esto no es solo para mí sino también para
Blanco significa paz. El negro es propio para y empiece a pensar en cómo quieren que su sé si a las personas les gustará mi casita. mi familia. Mi familia me está esperando para
el “roof.” Esta estructura es parte de mi cre- casa sea. Gracias por darme esta oportunidad Tengo dos hijos en México y quiero constru- que algún día pueda construirles una casa.
atividad. Mi mensaje al observador es que de expresar mis sueños, y por apoyar la co- irles su casa. Yo estoy aquí en los Estados Quiero decir gracias por darme la oportunidad
todo es posible con la ayuda de Dios y con munidad hispana. Unidos porque estoy contribuyendo para la de decirle a todos acerca de mis sueños y mis
nuestro esfuerzo. educación de mis hijos. deseos –acerca de mi casa de mis sueños.
Nomadic Houses / Situating Houses Within the Community

1. United Church of Christ, 1728 Eastern Ave. 2. St. Patrick’s Church, 321 S. Broadway 3. Southeast Anchor Branch Library, Eastern Ave. 4. Baltimore
City Hall, 100 Holiday St 5. Butchers Hill Community Garden 6. CASA de Maryland, 2224 E Fayette. 7. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. 8. Kids on
the Hill, 2117 Brookfield Ave.
As part of our collaboration with CASA, the hous- lic audience in mind and were happily received by
es were placed in host locations throughout the their respective hosts.
community. These spots were chosen with a pub-
Bartering in the Land of Abundance
“Accidental Equilibrium”

The Floating Lab is expanding on the use of art through their articulation with language and social
as linkage, by researching a variety of practices relations (Humphrey and Hugh-Jones 1992). “Bar-
to establish relationships between communities. tering” here subverts both the traditional context
Various community-based arts projects have been of the art object as mercantile in nature, and its
established in the Metropolitan area of Washington semantic value. This project places the object in a
DC, exploring different formats to create dialogue social interstice, basically removed from the law of
and exchange. “Bartering in the Land of Abun- profit by emphasizing the sociability of the object
dance” is a project using “bartering” as a means in the context of bartering.
to create community exchange. Bartering creates
its own social relationships, and the format of ex- Bartering is used as a horizontal dialogue. The
change can provoke dialogue. In the context of very act of a barter exchange creates equality out
bartering, the subject gains autonomy and agency of dissimilarity, establishing a symbolical equality
Member of the Floating Lab Collective dropping a bag with instructions. Participant communities:
Leesburg (Woodlea Manor, Green Way), In Falls Church (Holmes Run Acres - Greenway Downs),
Annandale (Little Run, Truro), Washington DC (Foxhall, St. Martin’s Catholic Church).
out of dissimilarity, establishing a symbolical he/she knew about the object. Each object was
equality. Another important aspect is the elusive- sketched and any known information added. The
ness of bartering: different meaning is held by the objects were then displayed in the gallery for bar-
two sides engaged in exchange. “Bartering in the ter with the gallery’s visitors. A sketch will also be
Land of Abundance “ began with empty plastic made of each bartered object, and similar infor-
bags distributed in some neighborhoods, in col- mation about the object will be collected as a way
laboration with those neighborhood organiza- of creating an archive. The drawings will be then
tions. These neighborhoods contributed the ob- displayed in the Katzen Museum during the show
jects to be bartered. For every object donated, the “Close Encounter”.
giver was asked to write information about what
Collective Exchange of Clothing
“Chain of Exchanges, From Artist to Worker to Worker”

The overall pant is a working garment that implies to symbolize the archetype of a Latino worker as
the basic idea of labor, along with uncleanliness. “braceros”, a term that accentuates the economi-
When the overall is embroidered, a tension is cre- cally productive organs, fragmenting the basic no-
ated between the labor garment and a craft nor- tion of persona. The action is a simple gesture, the
mally used in customs surrounding virgins, saints collective exchange of clothes, where the overall
and religion figures. The type of design implies a is transferred from artist to worker, then worker
symbolic representation of adoration, respect, and to workers, creating a chain of exchanges. This
fear. The use of color and material also demon- poetic transfer becomes a gesture of trust via the
strates a sense of high value and respect. overall, and a revalorization of labor and worker.
The overall was embroidered in the legs and arms
Responding to Stereotyping
Hispanic / Female Teenagers.

The Floating Lab Collective was invited to work The idea came after a series of meetings about
with a group of Hispanic teenagers, as part of their identities as members of the Hispanic com-
their internship with Tenants and Workers United. munity, as females, and as teenagers. In the
This group was composed of 5 teenagers during course of the meetings, they shared stories from
their last years of high school or their transition to their daily lives as examples of how they were the
college. They are an active group in the Hispanic source of false associations, or victims of an over-
community in Alexandria, and active collaborators simplified image. They spoke of society’s tendency
of Tenants and Workers United. to perpetuate the image of the “Hispanic Woman”
as a housekeeping worker, an exotic symbol, and
Tenants & Workers United is a democratically-controlled, a passive figure. We collaborated on several ac-
grassroots organization committed to building the power of
low-income people - Latinos/as, African Americans, immi- tions, beginning with writing responses about the
grants, tenants, workers, women, and youths - for racial and effects of stereotyping.
economic justice in Northern Virginia.
(http://www.tenantsworkers.org)

The action: Text was created and recorded on where a simplified image of the Hispanic female is
video by each one of the members of the group. perpetuated.
Their voices were used to animate popular labels
Reflecting The Dream
“Collaboration With Tracey Salaway & Kazeem Babatunde”

Collaborators: tions chosen for their history and the saturation of

Gallaudet University is a full university offering de- meaning already in the spaces: here Martin Luther
grees to deaf and hard of hearing individuals using King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have A Dream”
American Sign Language and English. The mis- speech. Connections could be drawn between the
sion of Gallaudet includes the promotion of Ameri- history of the space and current concerns facing
can Sign Language (ASL) as a full and legitimate the deaf community.
language.
Deaf people may encounter challenging attitudes Project:
regarding deafness and the use of sign language. In this action, Gallaudet student Kazeem Baba-
Often, deaf people are seen as handicapped and tunde signed portions of the “I Have a Dream”
erroneously assumed incapable of many func- speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial while
tions, including cognitive. Facing common con- the Floating Lab recorded. In the future, the Po-
cerns and encountering similar attitudes brings tomac River and public buildings will serve as por-
deaf individuals together. The deaf community table podiums for projecting the recorded action.
shares a language, a history and common goals, In this way, both the visual impact and the type of
audience are expanded.
trials and triumphs. Still, the community is diverse
and multicultural. This project speaks to issues of inheritance, lega-
cy, and appropriation. King’s dream “that one day
Idea: this nation will rise up and live out the true mean-
We worked with professors in the Art Department ing of its creed, that all men are created equal”
at Gallaudet University to involve members of the came to life through this expressive re-interpreta-
deaf community in the Actions in Usonia. The tion.
Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool were loca-
Chalkboard Talk
“Collaboration with WORKINGMAN COLLECTIVE”

In this action, a series of meetings occurs around the meeting concludes the tables will be returned
blackboard tables. Tables are displayed on the to the wall. The action activates a space of reflec-
wall, then taken down in order to hold the meet- tion and memory, the traces of which become the
ings. Participants will assemble an appropriate object.
table based on the size of the meeting. The idea Meetings will take place at the Katzen Museum, starting
is that the participants leave notes and traces of at 2 pm, in the exhibition space provided to the Floating
Lab Collective. Sept 20:: Connecting Cultures in a Mobile Society, Oct
the meetings using chalk to mark the tables. After 4:: Silence As Presence, Oct 18:: Strategies for Art & Social Engagement.
Documentation Katzen Museum
Sept 13 to October 20, 2008 / Washington DC
Scream at the economy

This is a participatory project which invites people (6 international composers will use the screams
to call a phone number and scream at the econ- as a source for the composition)
omy. We want to utilize the scream as a prima-
ry accessible interface but also as an instinctive 4. Download the music created from the screams
survival expression, as a warning of danger, and (for free) beginning June 25, 2009 at: www.float-
through considering the historical context and im- inglabcollective.org.
plications of the “Scream” in art history (such as
in Munch's painting) that have become a kind of 5. The music will be played as a performance in
shorthand of modern alienation and despair, icons public space in front of financial institutions. Using
of anxiety and hopelessness. the “screamer”, to play the compositions.
The archived screams are recorded as mp3 files.
On the web they will be used to create a musical
composition by various international composers,
that will be available to download for free begin-
ning June 25, 2009 at www.floatinglabcollective.
org. As a second action the musical composition
will be played in the “screamer,” (see diagram) a
portable speaker system, that will perform in pub-
lic spaces in front of relevant financial institutions.

Detail Instructions:

1. Call this number: 646.402.5686 ext 90514

(24/7) to call to United States from another country
+1

2. Scream at the economy. To get a clear record-

ing please back up a few inches from your phone
before you scream.

3. The screams will be used to compose music.

1st action, Screaming at the Economy in Washington DC
Community Currency Fund Project The economic value of a dollar is based on ex-
trinsic variables (inflation, balance of trade and
The project attempts to disseminate and promote
an alternatively organized collective economic
system. This system is based on community em- investment). The value of the U.S. dollar in relation
powerment through the creation of its own curren- to other economies is suffering depreciation. The
cy as part of a locally adapted economic system, intrinsic value of our own currency is merely based
confronting the disenfranchisement of the com- on the premise that our currency is “an
munity by an economic system that encourages
passives roles.
object of art” as such has as value aggregated
Community Currency Fund project attempts mul- in the artistic process, opening a dialogue about
tiple goals. One main goal is to bridge the different accessibility and the creative process, as an
currencies of local economies across the United engine to resist the passive actors that consumers
States by creating an interchangeable currency. become in the context of an economy in decline.
For that reason the Floating Lab Collective has We will also create a new standard (like the gold
created it own currency “ëks” (exchange). The first standard) based on principles of participation
stage will begin by disseminating the “ëks” through adapted to the local resources available.
asking people to receive the money instead of reg- Other Community Currency Fund project premises
ular dollars as members of the collective consume are to archive community currency, centralize
regular services. We will collect the receipts as information of different local systems created
proof of exchange, in that context the first stage (failures and successes), and create a network
uses the original idea by JSG Boggs. of communities to exchange information, produce
economic information (like a financial page of the
currencies across USA), micro loans, etc.