Voz Pública is a tactical mediation and participatory art piece that seeks to amplify the protest against gender violence in the urban context of Latin America. The intention of the project is to be a “voicing and amplifying” mechanism for those voices that have remained neutralized as a result of a society that still discriminates against women, a society that makes invisible the violence that crosses us, as a complaint and collective demand to recover our right to the city.
From a commitment to creative activism, the project is made up of three parts working together:
The first part consists of an online participation and visualization platform (www.vozpublica.cc), where women and non-binary people can share, in a textual and anonymous way, personal stories related to this problem. From these contributions a database is generated that is linked to the other two parts of the project.
The second part consists of an electronic textile that “gives voice to and amplifies” these stories through a voice synthesizer, giving them physical presence in the public space. This textile takes as visual reference the Latin American textile tradition, and graphics related to activist and feminist struggles. The electronic part of the textile consists of an embedded computing system, conductive thread, and an array of micro-speakers. In this way, the textile connects to the Internet, downloads the database of testimonials, converts them into voice, and amplifies them in an automated way.
The third part consists of a series of artistic laboratories called “La Rebelión textil” (The Textile Rebellion). These laboratories aim to be convivial spaces for reflection and exchange of knowledge, as well as for the appropriation and collaborative creation of electronic textiles based on the initial prototype. The ultimate goal of these laboratories is to generate collective performative actions to activate these devices in public spaces, as a demand to recover our right to the city. Currently seven editions of La Rebelión Textil have been developed.
Voz Pública is a tactical mediation and participatory art piece that seeks to amplify the protest against gender violence in the urban context of Latin America. The intention of the project is to be a “voicing and amplifying” mechanism for those voices that have remained neutralized as a result of a society that still discriminates against women, a society that makes invisible the violence that crosses us, as a complaint and collective demand to recover our right to the city.
From a commitment to creative activism, the project is made up of three parts working together:
The first part consists of an online participation and visualization platform (www.vozpublica.cc), where women and non-binary people can share, in a textual and anonymous way, personal stories related to this problem. From these contributions a database is generated that is linked to the other two parts of the project.
The second part consists of an electronic textile that “gives voice to and amplifies” these stories through a voice synthesizer, giving them physical presence in the public space. This textile takes as visual reference the Latin American textile tradition, and graphics related to activist and feminist struggles. The electronic part of the textile consists of an embedded computing system, conductive thread, and an array of micro-speakers. In this way, the textile connects to the Internet, downloads the database of testimonials, converts them into voice, and amplifies them in an automated way.
The third part consists of a series of artistic laboratories called “La Rebelión textil” (The Textile Rebellion). These laboratories aim to be convivial spaces for reflection and exchange of knowledge, as well as for the appropriation and collaborative creation of electronic textiles based on the initial prototype. The ultimate goal of these laboratories is to generate collective performative actions to activate these devices in public spaces, as a demand to recover our right to the city. Currently seven editions of La Rebelión Textil have been developed.
Project by: Dora Bartilotti – Original idea and conceptualization, textile design and production, graphic and web interface design, design and teaching of Laboratories, performative actions, textile programming and electronic
Web and electronic programming: Leonardo Aranda
Special thanks to all the participants of the seven editions of La Rebelión Textil.
With support from: Virtual Residence – FEM TEK (Bilbao); Artistic Residences program – FONCA (Mexico); Immersion Laboratory Residence – Digital Culture Center (Mexico)
Dora Bartilotti (MX) (1988) is a Latin American, feminist and multimedia artist from Veracruz, Mexico. Through her work she seeks to generate critical dialogues between art, design, pedagogy, and technology. Her processes are woven through participatory practices and micropolitical action in the public space. She is part of Medialabmx where she directs the projects Voz Pública and Costurerx Electrónicx, in which she explores the materiality of textiles and electronics as a tactical means for feminist activism and collective action. Her work has been featured in Mexico, UK, Brazil, Japan, and Colombia.
Dora Bartilotti (MX) (1988) is a Latin American, feminist and multimedia artist from Veracruz, Mexico. Through her work she seeks to generate critical dialogues between art, design, pedagogy, and technology. Her processes are woven through participatory practices and micropolitical action in the public space. She is part of Medialabmx where she directs the projects Voz Pública and Costurerx Electrónicx, in which she explores the materiality of textiles and electronics as a tactical means for feminist activism and collective action. Her work has been featured in Mexico, UK, Brazil, Japan, and Colombia.