Dallas Price, artist
— My interest lies in examining the effects of immigration and how it relates to personal narratives. Why do people risk their lives in an effort to bypass the system, and leave their families behind as they journey across the border into the United States? Is this going to make one’s life better or will their families left behind even benefit from all the obstacles and labor they face in the States? My piece started out as just an interpretation of the water bottles left behind in the desert. However, as I began interviewing people and hearing their stories, I found out that I needed to go deeper than what I saw on the surface. In each story that I listened to, I realized a part of them was left behind on their journey. Like the water bottles in the desert, the re-telling of their journey was a reminder of the life they left behind. My pieces scatter across the dirt so the viewer can interact with each book, and see the bottles like a husk, holding the different stories of each unique individual. This installation is meant to give a voice to those who are sometimes disregarded or seen as a nuisance, when in reality, they are only seeking what many Americans believe they are born entitled to.
