esfuerzo
esfuerzo is a multimedia project consisting of public workshops, visual art, an informational website, augmented reality through Instagram and TikTok, and a multiplayer 2D platformer game that investigates the history of U.S. immigration policy. Conceived during the summer of 2022 when more than 152,000 unaccompanied migrant minors reached the Mexico/U.S. border, the project is two-fold: to present an accessible dual-language index of U.S. immigration history and to workshop ideas for a lasting, functional immigration policy.
The 2022 wave of unaccompanied migrant minors seeking asylum in the United States were primarily from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras – lands that were largely Mayan. esfuerzo’s visual language is informed by Mayan art and culture. The platformer-style video game draws from Mayan religious traditions as a framework to present a hero’s journey. Elements of Mayan history are dovetailed with a history of U.S. immigration to reflect a continuum of the human experience and a fluidity of culture. The game is being workshopped with immigrant and first-generation youths and young adults.
The public workshops begin with a presentation and publication on a history of U.S. immigration policy to facilitate discussion that brainstorms new immigration policies to be submitted to elected representatives and presented on social networks.
Spanish language poster used for workshops to envision a new U.S. immigration policy:
OUR STUDIES SHOW ($100 for Truth, 2020). Sculpture/process and photo by Esther Neff
