In Public Transported Between 2 Locations in Guatemala City (1999), Santiago Sierra asked attendees at an art opening for his work at a gallery in Mexico City to board an unmarked bus. The windows of the bus were completely covered, and the passengers could not see where they were headed. A hot 30-minute ride later, Sierra asked the gallerygoers to exit the bus. When they did, he left them there - right in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods of Guatemala City.
If urban renewal, gentrification and eviction are about evicting the poor and working-class so that the wealthy can comfortably move in, Sierra's performance brings the rich back into contact with the poor - ostensibly before the neighborhood has been gentrified. He gives his wealthy, bourgeois audience a taste of their own medicine.
Hello, you wrote that this event began at a gallery in Mexico City and ended in Guatemala City. However, given the title, and the length of the ride you mention (30 minutes), this doesn't seem possible. I'm just wondering because I wanted to include this piece in the undergrad seminar I'm teaching on art and urban space and wanted to be sure I had all the info correct. Unfortunately I can't find any other reference to it on the web. Thanks for any further help.
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