New Mexico artist/educator, Agnes Chavez and projection artist, Joe Abraham Dean were invited to project the (x)trees in Guadalajara as part of the U.S. Arts Envoy Sister City initiative. (x)trees is a video projection that will generate a forest of dynamically growing trees on to the Guadalajara Cathedral. The tree branches are generated from messages collected from participants of the Sister City initiative between Albuquerque and Guadalajara, capturing the collective spirit of the two countries through text messages. Branch by branch the trees form and the messages from each branch are displayed for a fleeting moment. The (x)trees represent our universal connection to each other through nature and technology.

Sister Cities International hosted its first-ever U.S.-Mexico Sister Cities Mayors Summit in Guadalajara February 15-16, 2018. Designed to promote grassroots citizen diplomacy and the concept of cross-border, city-to-city collaboration in the 21st century, the summit addressed themes related to immigration, innovation, economic integration, trade, and security. Agnes and Joe Dean projected the (x)trees for the summit luncheon as a way to underscore the power of art and technology to act as cross-cultural communication tools and binding agents between cities.

Agnes shared her work and STEAM initiatives in a tour to high schools and universities throughout the city organized by the Consulate General of Guadalajara. Follow (x)trees in Guadalajara on Facebook!

Agnes Chavez is the founder of the STEMarts Lab and cofounder of The Paseo Project outdoor arts festival in Taos.

Post by Janet Web. Beyond Taos adapted for this site.