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Documented artwork / interactive light and sound installation

Border Tuner / Sintonizador Fronterizo

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

Credit as documented: Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

Border Tuner connected people in El Paso and Ciudad Juárez through steerable light beams and live conversations. Rafael Lozano-Hemmer placed three interactive stations in each city. Participants used a dial to aim searchlights; when beams intersected, microphones and speakers opened a two-way audio connection. Changing brightness responded to the voices. The installation made existing relationships across the border visible while allowing participants to choose whom to address.

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Documented work. Current availability, ownership and installation requirements must be confirmed with the artist.

See the documented project and images

Verified artwork image for Border Tuner / Sintonizador Fronterizo
Verified artwork imageImage: lozano-hemmer.com ↗© Antimodular Research, 1992-2026. (as credited at source)Photograph: Monica Lozano. Artwork: Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. (as credited at source)

At a glance

Year / version
November 13–24, 2019
Materials
Not documented
Documented setting
outdoor
Dimensions
Interactive area 300 × 300 yards; visibility described as a 10-mile radius dependent on atmosphere.
Dimensions apply to
Experience area and conditional visibility, not an object envelope.
Availability
Unconfirmed

Places & versions

Installation history

Historical presentations. A past installation does not establish the current location or suitability for a new site.

  1. November 13–24, 2019

    Bowie High School, El Paso, Texas, and Parque Chamizal, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico

    Installation source

Materials and construction

The artist specifies robotic xenon searchlights, encoded dials, GPS, webcams and custom software. Kerry Doyle and León de la Rosa co-curated the project, with Edgar Picazo directing content and programming.

Presentation and site context

The public run ended November 24, 2019, after presentations at Bowie High School and Parque Chamizal. The current project site distinguishes that event from its later film, book and archive.

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Sources