{"id":1547,"date":"2018-09-27T00:08:18","date_gmt":"2018-09-27T00:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marmoset-journal.flywheelsites.com\/2018-9-the-unfinished-portrait-of-migrant-workers-depicted-in-film-and-music\/"},"modified":"2021-01-26T07:51:30","modified_gmt":"2021-01-26T15:51:30","slug":"the-unfinished-portrait-of-migrant-workers-depicted-in-film-and-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/the-unfinished-portrait-of-migrant-workers-depicted-in-film-and-music\/","title":{"rendered":"A\/VEC 5: The Unfinished Portrait of Migrant Workers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"\n          image-block-outer-wrapper\n          layout-caption-below\n          design-layout-inline\n          combination-animation-none\n          individual-animation-none\n          individual-text-animation-none\n        \" data-test=\"image-block-inline-outer-wrapper\"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"\n              sqs-block-image-figure\n              intrinsic\n            \" style=\"max-width: 1500.0px;\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"\n                image-block-wrapper\n                has-aspect-ratio\n              \" style=\"padding-bottom: 56.19999694824219%;\" data-animation-role=\"image\"><br \/>\n<noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/marmoset-journal.flywheelsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/LuzMendozaandCluadiaMeza.jpg\" alt=\"Musical artist, Luz Mendoza (Y La Bamba) and documentary filmmaker, Claudia Meza at Marmoset Headquarters on the night of A\/VEC\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumb-image\" src=\"https:\/\/marmoset-journal.flywheelsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/LuzMendozaandCluadiaMeza.jpg\" alt=\"Musical artist, Luz Mendoza (Y La Bamba) and documentary filmmaker, Claudia Meza at Marmoset Headquarters on the night of A\/VEC\" data-image=\"https:\/\/marmoset-journal.flywheelsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/LuzMendozaandCluadiaMeza.jpg\" data-image-dimensions=\"1500x843\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5babd624104c7bf22ce9aa9b\" data-type=\"image\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-caption\">\n<p>Musical artist, Luz Mendoza (Y La Bamba) and documentary filmmaker, Claudia Meza at Marmoset Headquarters on the night of A\/VEC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">When picturing the rolling landscape of wine country, picturesque leisure comes to most minds: people basking in a bounty of fresh air while clinking their glasses of wine, mumblings of <em>salute<\/em> exchanged wistfully. Many will fail to pose the question of how this wine came to be, blissfully unaware of the working hands that have constructed the perfect scene before them \u2014 erring in thinking magic is behind it all.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">It\u2019s not magic. Nor is it from nothingness. There\u2019s backbreaking work surrounding each aromatic pour and tasting. It\u2019s easy to overlook as this work occurs behind the scenes, commencing at an hour many are still in bed. It\u2019s work that\u2019s hidden in plain sight but should be recognized, discussed, even questioned \u2014 something that filmmaker, <a href=\"http:\/\/pica.org\/artists\/claudia-meza\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Claudia Meza<\/a> sought to pose in the original film she created for Marmoset\u2019s fifth annual A\/VEC 5 showcase.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Meza\u2019s mission was to offer insight into this generation of migrant laborers, following the story in a \u2018day in the life\u2019 terms \u2014 the film opens on an early morning backdrop, we\u2019re visually introduced to unnamed workers who hustle in a way that\u2019s unprecedented by what you\u2019d commonly see in any office environment. There\u2019s a ferocity and propelling drive that catapults the subjects forward, it becomes nearly impossible to focus on any single person. In a way this is intentional, Meza aspiring to present the facts while still protecting identities.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cThe reason I wanted to make this, I wanted to know what a migrant worker does because we hear so much about migrant laborers, undocumented workers, Mexican immigrants,\u201d says Meza. \u201cBut we have no clue what is actually going on. <em>Trabajo pesado<\/em>, what that means is \u201chard work,\u201d it means heavy work. And whenever your parents tell you to study, or tell you what they&#8217;re doing for you so you don\u2019t have to do \u2014 trabajo pesado.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\n              sqs-block-image-figure\n              intrinsic\n            \" style=\"max-width: 1500.0px;\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"\n                image-block-wrapper\n                has-aspect-ratio\n              \" style=\"padding-bottom: 56.19999694824219%;\" data-animation-role=\"image\"><br \/>\n<noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/marmoset-journal.flywheelsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/YLaBamba.jpg\" alt=\"Y La Bamba\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumb-image\" src=\"https:\/\/marmoset-journal.flywheelsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/YLaBamba.jpg\" alt=\"Y La Bamba\" data-image=\"https:\/\/marmoset-journal.flywheelsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/YLaBamba.jpg\" data-image-dimensions=\"1500x843\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5babd4ba15fcc0fcf81dc846\" data-type=\"image\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-caption\">\n<p><em>Y La Bamba<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">As Marmoset\u2019s A\/VEC series is constructed around the premise of music and picture working together to create a single experience, there\u2019s something deeply profound in they way Mendoza\u2019s score (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/artists\/y-la-bamba\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Y La Bamba<\/a>) resonates seamlessly with the visuals. An impressive feat considering neither artist was allowed to communicate with one another leading up to the screening (naturally, part of the entire A\/VEC premises).<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">While this unknowingness of one another\u2019s identities throughout their individual creative process existed, there is an unshaken connecting thread of understanding \u2014 there\u2019s clearly an unspoken recognition of the film\u2019s weight and a shared compassion for what the visuals exposed that Mendoza registered. Despite Meza\u2019s intentional decision to omit vocals captured on the day of filming, the context hits home through Mendoza\u2019s lyrics within her original song titled, \u201cThe Screams.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cIt\u2019s not so often that this gets to be presented in my music scene,\u201d says Mendoza. \u201cI feel like my life, my parents\u2019 lives \u2014 and I know some of us here too that can also relate \u2014 how our lives and our stories are being magnified.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Mendoza recounts her family lineage entwined with a similar kind of physical labor, her story is similar to Meza\u2019s and to those featured in the film. And while neither artist knew who was on the opposite side of this collaboration, both shared a similar personal journey and appreciation of the previous generation\u2019s <em>trabajo pesado. <\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">\u201cWe have always lived and carried this knowledge, this is part of living and breathing and surviving, and it\u2019s something really rewarding but it breaks me in front of you to share this and actually exercise what\u2019s been killing me for so long. It\u2019s like this emotional awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure>\n<blockquote data-animation-role=\"quote\"><p>\u201cA well-incomplete story<br \/>\nthat hides in a dark corner.<br \/>\nand the snake runs awake<br \/>\nfeeling the heat that comes from the earth\u201d<\/blockquote><figcaption class=\"source\">\u2014 Y La Bamba<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">As the event enters its Q&amp;A portion, questions revolving around \u2018what\u2019s next\u2019 fill the room. A stirring statement is made by a member of the audience thanking Meza and Mendoza for sharing art that speaks volumes within our rugged political landscape. The attendee reverses the \u2018what\u2019s next\u2019 inquiry, prompting fellow audience members to ask themselves what <em>they <\/em>can do rather than placing the weight of responsibility solely on the artists.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Marmoset commends these artists for allowing their art-form to speak for those who often go without a voice. In an effort to assemble in what <em>we<\/em> can do together, we\u2019ve listed resources and references in support of America\u2019s migrant workers.<\/p>\n<ul data-rte-list=\"default\">\n<li>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alotrolado.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Al Otro Lado<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/supportkind.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.immdef.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Immigrant Defenders Law Center<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/firrp.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Florence Immigrant Rights Project<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/puenteaz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Puente Human Rights Movement<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.borderangels.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Border Angels<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"sqs-svg-icon--outer social-icon-alignment-center social-icons-color-black social-icons-size-large social-icons-shape-circle social-icons-style-border\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Musical artist, Luz Mendoza (Y La Bamba) and documentary filmmaker, Claudia Meza at Marmoset Headquarters&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1548,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,3767,6,3761],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-events","category-marmoset","category-purpose","has-excerpt"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/YLaBambaMarmoset.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1547"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8581,"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1547\/revisions\/8581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marmosetmusic.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}