ARTICLIn Tijuana, an Artit-Deigned
Treehoue Give a Peek into the U
The Japanee artit collective Chim↑Pom ha uilt atreehoue dued “UA Viitor Center” that look acro
the U–Mexico order.
Claire Voon

February 2, 2017

There’ a treehoue in Tijuanaperched right  the order wall that
eparate the Mexican cit from anDiego, California. A dozen or o local
children pla in it and ometimeeven leep in it overnight. From it
View of UA Viitor Center uilt in theackard of a famil’ houe along the order inwooden landing, the can p aColonia Liertad, Tijuana (photo  Oamu
Matuda, all image courte Chim↑Pom tudiotructure over the corrugated metaland MUJIN-TO Production, Toko)order that’ much, much le DIY: aU order outpot fromwhich guard keeping watchful eeon unanctioned human activit likel gaze ack.
The ricket treehoue tructure
tand out in the urroundinglandcape of Colonia Liertad, aneighorhood through which ten ofthouand of Mexican migrant haveeen known to pa in their attempt
to cro the order into the U. The“The Ground” (2017), a real hole dug along theMexican order wall that metaphoricall link

Japanee art collective Chim↑Pomintalled it there lat Jul, deeming ita “UA Viitor Center” a a“metaphor to the ‘unreachaleUA.'” Riing high aove the wall, it i ultimatel a viewing platform,o ering a rare ight: an unroken view of U land. An American ag waving
amid the leave and ranche liken it to an ema, cementing it
deignated tate of in-etweenne.
to “Liertad” (2017), or liert’ grave on theAmerican ide (photo  Yuki Maeda)

The tree grow in the ackard of a famil the artit met while viiting
Mexico; it’ a urt of unretrained life towering over the rigid order andthe famil’ elf-uilt houe, now a haven of green anchored to the dut
patch of land. uilt prior to the outcome of lat ear’ U preidential, thetreehoue now exit in a time when order are crutinized more intenelthan ever, when the tatu of refugee and immigrant — othundocumented and documented — are under greater threat. Thoeinviile order around America are increaingl tranforming into nonnegotiale line that give men in uit reaon to pla politic with people’
live.
“National park like the Grand Canon have viitor center to learn aoutplace that ou cannot enter,” Chim↑Pom told Hperallergic. “In Tijuana
there are man people who cannot enter the U. o for people like themand llie, thi i a UA Viitor Center to think aout what America i.”A memer of Chim↑Pom, llie cannot enter the countr a o cial havedenied her TA application. In 2012, he wa attempting to viit Hawaii
with a Japanee TV crew, ut one crew memer ended up eing lacklited U Cutom and order Protection, reulting in her conequent arringfrom future entr. That incident led to her focu on order and retrictedmoilit, giving rie to project uch a Don’t Follow the Wind, a groupexhiition that Chim↑Pom intalled inide the Fukuhima excluion zone
in 2015, part of which will e acceile onl a Japan lift it evacuation
order.
While itelf welcoming, the Tijiana treehoue alo make ver real thephical eparation etween countrie: ou can ee the U from here, ut
ou can ee the mile of wall, too. And, for the moment, ou can alo ee awhite cro planted on the American ide. With the help of children,Chim↑Pom caled the order wall toplace the piece there a amolic grave to liert — a geturethat alo highlight how the wall ieentiall a formalit and a formalcontruction. “Liertad” i a triute
to all who lot their live attemptingInterior of the UA Viitor Centerto cro the order. A platic circlelie at it ae, repreenting a holethat metaphoricall link it to another work, “The Ground.” A literal holedug on the Mexican ide, “The Ground” extend eneath U oil ut doe
not cut through all the wa. It i another place of in-etweenne and ofuncertaint; it remind of the airport were immigrant returning to the Uwere recentl trapped under Trump’ an, a pace of retricted acce.
The UA Viitor Center will remain in the tree inde nitel under the careof the children. “Liertad” and “The Ground,” however, will likel not lata long. The former i on pulic propert while the later ma oon e lledup.
“ince it’ a center to view ‘Liertad’ and ‘The Ground,’ it’ eentiall likean art galler, ut once thoe two work are removed it won’t have thatfunction,” Chim↑Pom aid. “ut ou’ll till e ale to look over the U, andif a new wall i uilt, ou would e ale to ee the contruction.”

View of the order wall with a glime of“Liertad” (2017)

Chim↑Pom work with local reident andchildren to intall “Liertad” (2017)

Chim↑Pom work with local reident andchildren to intall “Liertad” (2017)