Desconocida - Unknown - Ukjent

Nobel Women INitiativ take action to protest against the attack on Norma Adrade.

2011-12-28T23:54:00.000+01:00

The organization Nobel Women Initiativ has a link with information how to write to the Mexican authorities demanding justice and safety for Norma Andrade, the activist that recently was shot in Juarez. Or you can take a postcard from the reception at the Museum and write your message on the card! Please send your protest!

Mexican human rights activist, Norma Andrade, is in hiding this Christmas. She had to be moved from hospital to a secret location after she was shot, due to direct threats against her and the doctors. Take a moment to write the Mexican authorities demanding justice and Norma's safety.

http://nobelwomensinitiative.org/2011/12/urgent-action-for-mexican-human-rights-activist/

Lise

Protest March in Ciudad Juarez

2011-12-13T22:36:00.000+01:00

Y HOY MARTES EN CIUDAD JUAREZ: de 5 a 7 PM en Pastoral Obrera, calles Mejia y Peru, entrada por Hermanos Escobar. Para evaluar posibles acciones este 16 de diciembre, aniversario del asesinato de Marisela Escobedo y repudiando el atentado contra Norma Andrade y los demas asesinatos de activistas. Es reunión amplia, todas las organizaciones y compañer@s solidari@s estan invitad@s. Favor de difundir. Saludos

And today Tuesday at CIUDAD JUAREZ: 5-7 PM in Pastoral Obrera, Mejia and Peru, entered by brothers Escobar streets. To evaluate possible actions this December 16, anniversary of the murder of Marisela Escobedo and repudiating the attack on Norma Andrade and other killings of activists. It is wide meeting, all organizations and compañer@s solidari@s are invited. Please disseminate. Best regards (Translated by Bing)

Amnesty International Mexico condemns attack on Norma Andrade

2011-12-04T08:20:00.002+01:00

Amnesty Mexico condemns the attack on Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa co founder, Norma Andrade. Demand the Government for safety for her and her family. Her daughter, Malú is now running the organization in Juarez since Marisela Ortiz currently lives in th US due to death treats on her and her family. If you want to send your protest, take Action cards from the embroidery table in the Museum!

Lise

Amnesty Mexique condamne l'attaque qui a visé Norma Andrade, co-fondatrice de "Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a casa", et exige qu'elle et sa famille puissent être en sécurité. Malù, la fille de Norma, assure actuellement la direction de l'organisation depuis le départ de Marisela Ortiz pour les USA, à cause des menaces de mort qui lui étaient adressées, à elle et à sa famille. Si vous voulez protester contre cette situation, prenez des cartes postales au Musée et envoyez-les au Mexique!
Lise

Sad news from Ciudad Juarez, mother and co founder of Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa shot in Juarez

2011-12-03T10:25:00.000+01:00

I found today this link sharing that Norma Andrade, the mother of Lilia Alejandra Andrade was shot with five guneshots yesterday and is in critically conditions at a hospital in Ciudad Juarez. She was the co founder of Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa, the organization I collaborate with in Ciudad Juarez.
Here is the text in the newspaper in Spanish and translated to English: (Google translation) Click the title to get directly to the link to the newspaper:

Un grupo de presuntos delincuentes atacó a tiros a Norma Andrade, una de las dirigentes en Ciudad Juárez del grupo "Nuestras hijas de regreso a casa" , quien se encuentra grave en un hospital, informaron organismos civiles. La "Red Nacional Todos los Derechos para Todas y Todos" precisó en un comunicado que "hoy varios hombres le dispararon a Norma Andrade cuando salía de su trabajo en Ciudad Juárez y está hospitalizada" , por lo que exigió a las autoridades esclarecer el caso.
La Red agregó que Andrade "es madre de Lilia Alejandra García Andrade, quien fue asesinada en febrero de 2001" .
También es madre de la directora del grupo "Nuestras hijas de regreso a casa" , Malú García, quien se encuentra exiliada en Ciudad de México por amenazas del narcotráfico.
La Fiscalía General de Justicia del estado de Chihuahua confirmó en un reporte preliminar que la activista social recibió al menos cinco impactos de bala mientras se disponía a abordar su auto, ataque que atribuyó a un intento de robo del vehículo.
No obstante, fuentes cercanas a la activista explicaron que el ataque fue un intento de asesinato por parte de integrantes de un cártel de la droga que opera en esa ciudad.
En los últimos dos años cinco activistas han sido asesinados por el crimen organizado y otros doce han abandonado el país, según información de la Comisión Estatal de Derechos Humanos de Chihuahua.
El caso más reciente es el de Susana Chávez, poeta y activista, creadora del lema "Ni Una Más" para protestar contra los asesinatos de mujeres en la urbe, más de medio millar desde 1993, la gran mayoría impunes.
Chávez fue violada, mutilada y asesinada el 11 de enero de este año por tres personas, entre ellos un menor.
Un mes antes perdió la vida Marisela Escobedo frente a la sede del Gobierno de Chihuahua cuando pedía justicia por el homicidio de su hija, cuyo asesino confeso fue liberado por los jueces.

Otro asesinato que sacudió a esta ciudad fue el de Josefina Reyes, exregidora izquierdista de un municipio aledaño a Ciudad Juárez y luchadora social durante más de dos décadas, acribillada por un grupo de hombres sobre la carretera rumbo a Valle de Juárez.
En noviembre del 2010, la activista Flor Alicia Gómez, de Justicia para "Nuestras Hijas" y del "Centro Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres" , fue violada y asesinada.
Finalmente, en septiembre del 2009 Paz Rodríguez Ortiz, fundador de una asociación pro derechos humanos, fue tiroteado mortalmente frente a su esposa.

A group of suspects opened fire Norma Andrade, one of the leaders of the group in Ciudad Juarez "Our daughters back home," who was in critical condition at a hospital, civilian agencies reported.
The "National Network for All Rights for All" said in a statement that "today many men Norma Andrade was shot as he left his job in Ciudad Juarez and is hospitalized" and therefore urged the authorities to clarify the case.
The network said Andrade "is the mother of Lilia Alejandra Garcia Andrade, who was murdered in February 2001."
It is also the mother of the group's director, "Our daughters back home," Malu Garcia, who is in exile in Mexico City by threats of drug trafficking.
The Attorney General of the state of Chihuahua in a preliminary report confirmed that the social activist received at least five gunshots as he prepared to board your car, attack attributed to an attempted theft.
However, sources close to the activist explained that the attack was an assassination attempt by members of a drug cartel operating in the city.
In the last two years five activists have been murdered by organized crime and a dozen others have left the country, according to information from the Human Rights Commission of Chihuahua.
The most recent case is that of Susana Chavez, poet and activist, created the slogan "Not One More" to protest the murders of women in the city, more than five hundred since 1993, most unpunished.
Chavez was raped, mutilated and murdered on January 11 this year by three people, including a minor.A month before Marisela Escobedo was killed in front of the seat of government of Chihuahua when calling for justice for the murder of his daughter, whose confessed murderer was released by the judges.
Another murder that shook this city was that of Josefina Reyes, leftist exregidora a municipality adjacent to Ciudad Juarez and social activist for more than two decades, riddled by a group of men on the road towards Valle de Juarez.
In November 2010, the activist Flor Alicia Gomez of Justice "Our Daughters" and "Human Rights Center of Women", was raped and murdered.
Finally, in September 2009, Paz Rodríguez Ortiz, founder of a human rights association, was shot to death in front of his wife.

News from Ciudad Juaréz

2011-11-30T21:14:00.002+01:00

Please see attached link for information. (in Spanish)
http://www.losangelespress.org/mujeres-guardadas-en-la-morgue-de-juarez/

News from Mexico and Ciudad Juarez

2011-11-27T18:50:00.000+01:00

Journalist Diana Washington Valdez shared this information today:Mexican drug cartel allegedly wanted to 'blow up' buildings with U.S. weapons

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_19419313?source=rss_viewed

Installation of Desconocida Unknown Ukjent, Musée Bernadotte, Pau, 4th day of installation

2011-11-22T21:53:00.000+01:00

I arrived in Pau Friday evening, beginning the installation of Desconocida at Musée Bernadotte Saturday morning. 5600 are ready to be installed - more than it is room for on this 8,5m long x 2,7m tall wall.
The labels will be installed in Morsecode, spelling out the Mexican and American anthem.

BonArt; Régis Estéuz, Lila Guarése and Anne Clerget have done such an incredible job planning it all. More than 20 workshops have been arranged by the them and Musée Bernadotte and 350 labels been embroidered here since September.

Yesterday, art students from ASAP embroidered and helped installing - 23 students worked all day. In addition Anne's brother Bonnard came from Paris to help with the installation. Mallet, Alice and friends of them have been there every day. The same has Régis, Lila and Anne. Today Renée came from Aloron to help install. She has arranged several workshops in her village. Four days into the installation the wall is almost covered with labels!! I feel very fortunate and thankful to come and be met with such engagement. And all of them are doing everything voluntarily!
Jean-Pierre Melot and his staff at Musée Bernadotte and Musée Fine Arts have made this possible and also contributed greatly to every details and events. Thank you!

Tomorrow we will finish the wall, and set up the embroidery station. Information,wall text, Internet connection, blogs etc.

I hope to see many on the opening on Friday 5PM at Musée Fine Arts. The wall at Musée Bernadotte is open to view from 2 - 4 PM on Friday. I hope you all will take a postcard at the opening and send to the Mexican President, the situation in Ciudad Juarez is terrible.

Best Lise

Le nombre de femmes assassinées à Ciudad Juarez est de plus en plus élevé.

2011-09-09T10:13:00.002+02:00

Chers tous,

L'organisation Justicia Para Nuestras Hijas à Ciudad Juarez conserve sur son site web, http://www.justiciaparanuestrashijas.org/ une liste mise à jour des femmes continuellement assassinées à Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, et dans la région. En 2010, la liste compte 446 noms de femmes et de filles. La plus jeune a 3 ans et la plus agée 85. En 2011, 259 filles et femmes ont été tuées, la dernière victime en date a été ajoutée à la liste le 31août. Les médias sont muets.

N'hésitez pas à me contacter si vous avez envie de participer à Desconocida et de broder les noms des femmes sur les étiquettes. Des cartes postales ont été éditées afin que vous puissiez aussi protester auprès du Gouvernement Mexicain. Si des milliers de personnes s'engagent et envoient des cartes du monde entier, peut-être que cela fera impression? Ils sauront au moins que nous savons, que nous entendons, et que nous nous sentons concernés.

A Pau, France, le Musée Bernadotte et l'Atelier Bon'Art organiseront des ateliers les 17 et 18 septembre, à l'occasion des Journées du Patrimoine.
Ces ateliers marqueront les débuts de Desconocida dans la ville. En effet, de septembre à novembre d'autres ateliers seront organisés à Pau et dans la communauté d'agglomération, en partenariat avec des MJC, des associations, le milieu scolaire, et le grand public. Le 25 novembre, toutes les étiquettes seront exposées au Musée Bernadotte, Pau. Contactez Anne Clerget, Bon Art pour plus d'information.

Musée Bernadotte
Rue Tran 64000 PAU
Tél. : 05 59 27 48 42
Ouvert tous les jours de10 heures à 12 heures et de 14 heures à 18 heures
Monday, closed

L'atelier Bon'Art
10, impasse Henri IV
64110 Gelos
bonart64@yahoo.fr
Tél: 06 17 63 82 79 (Régis Estérez) ou 06 31 16 41 95 (Anne Clerget)
Ouvert:
- les 17 et 18 septembre de 10 à 12 heures et de 14 à 18 heures.
- du 19 au 5 octobre de 14 à 18 heures (du lundi au vendredi)
- une permanence sera mise en place le samedi de 14 à 18 heures dès que
possible. L'information sera mise en ligne sur le myspace et diffusée dans la
presse locale.

Amités

Lise

The number of women being murdered in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua is higher than ever

2011-09-08T22:19:00.002+02:00

Dear all,

The organization Justicia Para Nuestras Hijas in Ciudad Juarez keep on their website, http://www.justiciaparanuestrashijas.org/ an updated list of the women continually murdered in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua and the area around. In 2010, 446 women and girls names, the youngest 3 years old and the oldest 85, are on this list. In 2011, 259 girls and women have been killed, the last victim was added on the list Aug 31st. The media is silent.

Please contact me if you would like to participate in Desconocida and embroider the women´s names on the labels. Action cards have been made so you can also send your protest to the Mexican Government. If thousands engage and send cards from all over the world, maybe it will make an impression? At least they will know we see, hear and care.

In Pau, France, the Musèe Bernadotte and the Atelier Bon'Art will arrange workshops 17th and 18th of September,
This will be the beginning of Desconocida in this city, because later in September and in October more workshops will be held in Community Centers and with non-profit organizations, schools in the area. On Nov 25th, all the labels will be exhibited at Musée Bernadotte, Pau. Please contact Anne Clerget, Bon Art for more information.

Musée Bernadotte
Rue Tran 64000 PAU
Tel. : 05 59 27 48 42
Open from 10:00 to 12:00 a.m and from de 2:00 to 6:00 p.m

L'atelier Bon'Art
10, impasse Henri IV
64110 Gelos
Open from 10:00 to 12:00 a.m and from de 2:00 to 6:00 p.m
Tel: 06 17 63 82 79
bonart64@yahoo.fr

All the best

Lise

Action cards to protest the continous murders of women in Ciudad Juarez produced

2011-07-04T21:12:00.004+02:00

Dear All,

Finally the action cards are ready! The production of them have generously been supported by Fritt Ord, Farley Barn Gallery, Latin-Amerika gruppen i Norge, Arctic Paper, Norway and Otto Stenersen Print Company.

I have made two versions. One is a group of seven different cards, one of them addressed to the Mexican President, one with Spanish text addressed to the Governor of Chihuahua, the rest of the cards in this group are to be sent to friends and families to inform about the situation and invite people to take action. I have also made single cards addressed to the Mexican president.

If you would like to send the protest cards, please contact me on lisebjorne@mac.com and I will send you cards. I hope the President Calderon and the Governor in Chihuahua will receive thousands of cards!

Embroidery workshops are still being held. Please let me know if you would like to participate in one or arrange one yourself. I will provide all needed materials.

All the best

Lise

Desconocida to Pau, France, Fall 2011

2011-05-25T12:12:00.003+02:00

Last week I spent two days in Pau, France planning for the upcoming exhibition of Desconocida in November 2011 at Musée Bernadotte / Fine Arts Museum, Pau. The exhibition is organized by Bon´Art in collaboration with Fine Arts Museum, Pau and generously supported by Pau City Council.

Bon´Art is an artist run, non-profit organization, working to promote and help artists and art projects, national and international.
The group consists of Régis Esterèz, artist/ president of organization, Anne Clerget, artist/secretary for organization, and Lila, artist. She will be in charge of the workshops and the mediation with the audience during the exhibition. Manon Cuvelier is accountant and treasurer of the organization.

The two days in Pau were filled with visits and meetings and such great interest for the project.
At Musée Bermadotte we met with Jean Pierre Melot, director of Fine Arts Museum, and Fabrice Richard from Pau City Council. We looked at the museum and discussed installation, workshops, invitations etc. It will be produced a catalogue for the exhibition including images from the workshops held in Pau, texts and interviews, which I am very thankful for. The workshops is planned to start in September 2011.

In the afternoon we met with the different organizations that will be involved in running workshops. The meeting was held at Maison des Femmes (Womens House). Many people came and while we spoke about the project we made a small embroidery workshop. This way the project could be experienced and not only spoken about.

Participants in this meeting was: From: Maison des Femmes (Women's House): T.Auclair, S.Cartegrel, J.Bana, C.Cazabon, B.Gasc
Museum: S.Galea
GIPDSU (funding organization): S.Ribo
Community Centers:
- Leo Lagrange Community Center: E.Rodriguez, P.Hallauer
- Rive Gauche Community Center: V.Flament
- Berlioz Community Center: D.Hebting, F.Paugam
Pau City Council: F.Richard, D.Doucet
Du Coté des Femmes (On women's side): F.Dorot
(Mission Départementale aux Droits des Femmes (is a local governmental department for women's rights and equality between men and women): A.E.Francq

Since I unfortunately don’t speak any French at all, Anne had to translate every conversation and presentation. She did so well! She will also, as part of the upcoming exhibition, translate the coming blog texts to French. This way I hope that the blog can be an active part of the workshops and exhibition.

I want to thank all of you for wanting to participate in the project and arrange workshops , and Bon´Art and Anne Clerget in particular for initiating and working very hard to get the project to Pau. Both the project and I have been met with such generosity and warmth.
I look forward to our upcoming collaboration and please contact me with any questions.

All the best

Lise

Desconocida à Pau, France, Automne 2011

La semaine dernière, j'ai passé deux jours à Pau, en France, pour travailler sur l'exposition de Desconocida, prévue en novembre 2011 au Musée Bernadotte/Musée des Beaux-Arts de Pau. L'exposition est organisée par Bon'Art, en collaboration avec le Musée des Beaux-Arts, et est généreusement soutenue par la Ville de Pau.

Bon'Art est une association gérée par des artistes, dont l'un des objectifs est de promouvoir et aider des artistes ou des projets artistiques à l'échelle nationale et internationale. Ce groupe est constitué de Régis Estérez, artiste/Président de l'association, Anne Clerget , artiste/secrétaire de l'association, et Lila, artiste. Elle sera responsable des ateliers et de la médiation avec le public pendant l'exposition. Manon Cuvelier est expert-comptable et trésorière de l'association.

Ces deux journées à Pau ont été bien remplies par des visites et des réunions, et un grand intérêt pour le projet.
Au Musée Bernadotte, j'ai rencontré Jean-Pierre Melot, Directeur du Musée des Beaux-Arts, et Fabrice Richard, de la Ville de Pau. Nous avons regardé le Musée, les salles, et discuté de l'installation, des ateliers, des invitations etc. Un catalogue de l'exposition sera édité: il contiendra des photos d'ateliers qui auront lieu à Pau, des textes et des entretiens. J'en suis vraiment ravie.
Il est prévu que les ateliers commencent en septembre 2011.
Dans l'après-midi du jeudi j'ai rencontré les différentes structures qui participeront à l'organisation d'ateliers. Cette réunion a eu lieu à la Maison des Femmes. De nombreuses personnes étaient présentes, et, pendant que je parlais du projet, nous avons fait un petit atelier de broderie. Ainsi, le projet pouvait être vécu, expérimenté, et pas seulement parlé.
Les participants à cette réunion étaient:
De la Maison des Femmes: T.Auclair, S.Cartegrel, J.Bana, C.Cazabon, B.Gasc.
Du Musée: S.Galéa
Du GIP-DSU (financeur): S.Ribo
De Leo Lagrange: E.Rodriguez, P.Hallauer
De la MJC Rive Gauche: V.Flament
De la MJC Berlioz: D.Hebting, F.Paugam
De l'association Du Coté des Femmes: F.Dorot
De la Ville de Pau (financeur): F.Richard, D.Doucet
De la Mission Départementale aux Droits des Femmes (Préfecture): A.E Francq

Etant donné que, malheureusement, je ne parle pas du tout français, Anne a dû traduire chaque conversation et présentation et l'a très bien fait! Elle va aussi, puisque cela fait partie de l'exposition à venir, traduire les prochains textes du blog en français. J'espère que de cette façon, le blog pourra constituer un élément actif des ateliers et de l'exposition.

Je voudrais tous vous remercier pour votre volonté de participer au projet et d'organiser des ateliers, ainsi que Bon'Art et Anne Clerget en particulier, pour avoir été les initiateurs et avoir travaillé dur pour faire venir le projet à Pau.
Le projet et moi-même avons reçu ici un accueil d'une grande chaleur et d'une grande générosité.
Je me réjouis à l'avance de notre collaboration, et n'hésitez pas à me contacter pour toute question.

Bien à vous,

Lise

Urgent Action: Demand release of family of murdered activist Marisela Escobeda

2011-03-07T07:03:00.000+01:00

Urgent Action: Demand release of family of murdered activist Marisela Escobeda

For many years, Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez has worked with non-profit organizations in Juarez and Chihuahua. We are concerned by the rash of assassinations and attacks on activists who are demanding justice. These assassinations have been carried out by unknown paramilitary organizations, operating with impunity. Instead of justice for the victim, the Mexican government attempts to place blame on the victim, alleging involvement in organized crime.

The disturbing pattern has been that the entire family then also begins to receive threats and then is also assassinated after demanding justice for their loved one.

Marisela Escobedo's daughter, Rubi was murdered. Marisela's demand for justice led to her assassination in front of the Governor's Palace in the main square of Chihuahua City. Her husband's business was burned down, her brother-in-law was murdered and the family began to receive death threats. Knowing that the Mexican government would not protect them or was complicit in the murder, they fled to the border, asking for political asylum.

In a most egregious act, the U.S. government placed the family in immigration detention. Thanks to pressure on the U.S. government, Marisela's 3 year-old granddaughter was released from immigration detention. However, her son Juan Manuel Frayre Escobedo and brother Hector Escobedo Ortiz both remain detained in the Otero County Processing Center. This same center is the focus of a recent report by the ACLU, documenting a large variety of abuses to those held in this facility. http://aclu-nm.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/OCPC-Report.pdf.

Amigos de las Mujeres de Juárez asks that you again write to your congressional representatives, asking for the release of threatened family members from immigration detention. We support a call to institute the changes to detention policy recommended by the ACLU, especially the call to:

"Continue work to expand and utilize the Alternatives to Detention Program.

Release individuals who pose no danger to national security or risk to community safety. Individuals should be released under the least restrictive requirements and with the appropriate case management services to ensure program success.

"End unnecessary and unconstitutional prolonged detention of immigrants who pose no risk ."[1]

[1] American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico. Outsourcing Responsibility: The Human Cost of Privatized Immigration Detention in Otero County. Retrieved from http://aclu-nm.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/OCPC-Report.pdf.

• The last 48 hours devastating for women in the state of Chihuahua

2011-02-03T05:59:00.001+01:00

• The last 48 hours devastating for women in the state of Chihuahua.

• Organizations call for immediate and effective actions by the federal and state government of Chihuahua, including a gender alert for Chihuahua
On January 30, 2011, 16 year old Karin Ibeth Ibarr Soria was attacked by uniformed members of the federal police in Villas de Salvacar en Juarez. A few hours later, she died. "This could not have been a stray bullet. Six shots against an unarmed, defenseless 16 year old is by all standards an attack immeasurably illegal and unjustifiable" said Lucha Castro, coordinator of the Center for Human Rights of Women (CEDEHM).
The organizations believe that this is not an isolated occurrence. According to official information obtained by CEDEHM, through the law of transparency and access to public information, en only 14 months, citizens presented 1,017 complaints of abuse by the military and federal police in Juarez. That is approximately 1 complaint every 9 hours. The majority of these complaints of abuse and violation of human rightsagainst citizens are not adequately investigated and those responsible are not sanctioned. Almost half of the complaints were made by women and youth who are the most vulnerable.

The same day that Karina was attacked, in the town of Santa Isabel, a drunk man threatened Maria del Refugio Nevárez Villalobos with death. She is the only police officer of the town. Next, he intentionally ran over her, dragging her 75 meters. The local media reported that the body was completely destroyed and that "at the crime scene, there remain the drag marks, blood and pieces of the cell phone that Nevárez Villalobos was carrying along with a sole of her shoe."

On January 31, a woman employed by the Diario of Juarez and a spokeswoman for the paper PM was killed in the center of Juarez, while she was resting in a truck that bore the logo of the newspaper. The men shot her until her clothes burned.
The same day, close to Parral Chihuahua, three young women that had been reported missing were found decapitated. The bodies of the three young women show signs of torture. Those responsible for this triple homicide have not been punished.
Nor have the authorities released information on the actions they took to look for the three young women, nor if they activated the Alba Protocol to look for missing women in compliance with the dictate of the Inter-american Court of Human Rights in the "Cotton field" case.

In accordance with the public data of Justicia para Nuestras Hijas, which you can find on their web page, last year, a historic high number of 446 feminicides were registered in the state. That is one every 20 hours. However, in January of 2011, there were 29 feminicides, an increase of 7.25% in comparison with January, 2010 with 25 registered feminicides.

Justice for Our Daughters, the Center for Human Rights of Women, the Commission of Solidarity and Defense of Human Rights, Paso del Norte consider that in this climate of immeasurable violence against women and girls en the state of Chihuahua, it is urgent to declare a gender alert; to carry out concrete and coordinated actions to bring those responsible to justice; and to implement effective programs with a gendered perspective to diminish the grave risk to the women and girls of Chihuahua.
For more information:

Centro de Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres (CEDEHM). Tel. (614) 415-4152.comunicacion@cedehm.org.mx
Justicia para Nuestras Hijas. Tel. (614) 413-3355.www.justiciaparanuestrashijas.org Twt: @jpnh01comunicacion@justiciaparanuestrashijas.org /justiciaparanuestrashijas.blogspot.com
Comisión de Solidaridad y defensa de los Derechos Humanos A.C (COSYDDHAC). Tel (614) 410-77-55.http://www.cosyddhac.com/
Centro de Derechos Humanos Paso del Norte A.C. Tel. (656) 331 95 00 /cdhpasodelnorte@hotmail.com

300 women killed in Ciudad Juarez in 2010. Femicide of Marisela Escobedo Ortiz

2010-12-19T18:39:00.001+01:00

Dear all,

Amigos de las Mujers de Juarez joins in denouncing this act of violence. We ask you all to take actions to pressure the Mexican Government to bring the killers to justice. We ask that you also denounce to your U.S. congress people the continued impunity in Mexico and propose that current and future assistance to Mexico be based on Mexico's progress to real justice.

Organizations denounce the feminicide of Marisela Escobedo Ortiz

Due to the incapability and disregard of the state and federal governments, Marisela was murdered for asking for justice for her daughter Rubi.

"I am not going to move from here until they detain the killer of my daughter" was the declaration of Marisela before putting in place her small campsite in front of the Cross of Nails NOT ONE MORE in Chihuahua City. She was prepared to spend Christmas and New Years in this emblematic place, where, the past November 25th, she participated in a demonstration with the mothers of Justice for our Daughters to hang on the cross, the names of the more than 300 women who have been killed in the the state of Chihuahua in 2010 alone.

Rubi was 16 year old when she was killed by Sergio Rafael in August, 2008. Since she disappeared and her small corpse was found in a lot together with the bones of pigs, the mother of Rubi, Marisela, a retired nurse, dedicated here life to seeking justice for her daughter, becoming a human rights defender.

The same day that the Secretary of Government, Francisco Blake, asked citizens to "reject fear to fight the criminals", Marisela was killed in front of the doors of the Palace of Government in Chihuahua City, while she was engaged in her peaceful and indefinite protest to demand that the authorities detain the killer of her daughter Rubi.

Marisela not only rejected fear, she walked for days from the office of the prosecutor to the judicial center in Juarez to demand punishment for the killer of her daughter. She always walked with her 2 year old granddaughter in a carriage and a placard with the picture of her daughter Rubi. An oral trial freed the killer, shaming the system of justice.

Marisela, untiring fighter, achieved, together with the lawyers of the Center for Human Rights of Women in obtaining an appeal tribunal (made up of 3 magistrates) who would recitify the decision of the judges and she succeeded in obtaining a sentence against Sergio Rafael, confessed murderer, condemning him finally to 50 years in prision.

"I am tired of doing their work, now let them do theirs" said Marisela. Efectively, while the authorities did not manage to find Sergio Rafael, Marisela, with her own resources, found him in Zacatecas and advised the Attorney General of Chihuahua, who alleged, that because of bureaucratic procedures, they could not detain him.

The Attorney General of the state of Chihuahua informed the mother that, together with the Attorney General of Mexico, "they would keep seeking the killer of her daughter over the whole country." They never found him.

For two years she traveled the country. She returned to Zacatecas, she went to Mexico City where she asked for an audience with President Calderon and with Attorney General Arturo Chávez Chávez. Both refused to see her. She spoke with authorities in the federal prosecutors office who promised to search for the killer of her daughter. They never found him.

Days before being murdered, she turned up at an event where she met the Governor of Chihuahua, Cesar Duarte and she took out a placard that said "justice, privilege of governments". The request angered the governor, as was noted by various local journalist. The governor scolded here and treated her with contempt. Later, she succeeded in getting an interview with the state attorney of Chihuahua who promised her that he would review her case.

Lucha Castro, coordinator of the Center for the Human Rights of Women declared, at this time, we cannot ignore any line of investigation including a crime by the state because Marisela was not going to stop until they detained the killer of her daughter.

Marisela died at the doors of the Palace of Government and in front of the cross of nails that was placed by the group Women in Black and the mothers of the young women killed in the state of Chihuahua. Marisela was killed for asking for justice.

President Calderon and Governor Duarte, where is the responsibility of the citizens to make justice and where does the work of the authorities begin?

In front of such inability, number of omissions, scorn and negligence, the Mexican state is responsible and must respond immediately for the murders of Rubi.

Enough. NOT ONE MORE.

Justicia Para Nuestras Hijas / Centro de Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres

Para mayor información: Justicia para Nuestras Hijas // info@justiciaparanuestrashijas.org // Tel. (614) 413-3355 // twitter: @jpnh01 // Centro de Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres // comunicacion@cedehm.org // Tel. (614) 415-4152.

Event at the Rothko Chapel, Houston, Texas

2010-10-11T22:48:00.004+02:00

At the Rothko Chapel, Houston Texas:

Tuesdays, Oct 12 and Oct 19 at 7pm

There have been thousands of murders in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and nearby cities, and an escalation in the violence over the past three years. Issues facing communities along the U.S.-Mexico border include the presence of drug cartels and their business infrastructure, the increasing presence of U.S. security and law enforcement, and the migration of people fleeing the violence. This series goes beyond the headlines to reveal the challenging realities in Mexico, the role of U.S. policy and the implications for human rights. Programs on Oct. 12, and 19 feature prominent journalists and authors who address different aspects of border violence.

If you live in the area this should be very interesting to be part of.
For more information on the event please see: http://bl140w.blu140.mail.live.com/default.aspx

Best Lise

Desconocida Unknown Ukjent at Pallant House Gallery

2010-10-07T23:40:00.003+02:00

Saturday Oct 2nd, Desconocida Unknown Ukjent opened to the public at Pallant House Gallery. With more than 500 labels embroidered in Chichester I hope many of you will come by and see the final installation. I received labels until the very last day and had to find the hammer and a pin again and again.

I want to thank everyone helping me install. To hammer one and one label onto the wall is tiring, but worth it when it all is up and you get the feeling of the mass simultaneously as you can see the individuality of each label created through the trace of the hand of each embroiderer. Thank you for continuing the protest and to spread awareness of the enormous impunity women in Ciudad Juarez continue to be exposed to and many women with them around the world.

Lise

Installation in progress at Pallant House Gallery. Chichester

2010-09-29T20:59:00.003+02:00

Dear all and particularly all embroiderers in Chichester.

I arrived in Chichester on Friday and as I entered the gallery I saw that everyone at the reception desk was embroidering a label. What a welcome! And what a response from the community in Chichester and around - 550 labels have been embroidered here during the summer. Fantastic! Thank you so, so much.

I have spent most of the hours here in Chichester in front of the wall getting the labels up. Today, many came to help me hammer in the tiny pins that eventually will hold each label up. In the beginning the wall or the pins were not very collaborative - for every label, three attempts were needed before the pin went in without getting bent. With more practice it became easier during the day and we are almost done now. Only a few more and to tidy up and the wall will be ready.

Thank you again for contributing such beautiful labels for the wall. I hope many of you will have a chance to come by the gallery and find your label among all the others.

Best Lise

Two workshops held at Hå Prestegard

2010-09-18T16:37:00.003+02:00

Since the exhibition opened Sept 4th, two workshops have been arranged in the gallery room by Veronica Luzano. She is living in Nærbu,Jæren and working at Hå Prestegard, but born and raised in Mexico city, Mexico. In the workshops she shares deep knowledge of her country and culture. I am so glad for the involvement she is showing and her continuing wish to bring more people involved. I was back at Hå last weekend and was so glad to find so many labels being embroidered.

At the moment I am preparing to travel to Pallant House, Chichester to install Desconocida there for the opening of the exhibition Contemporary Eye, Crossovers with opening October 1st. In Chichester the public have been invited to embroider labels throughout the summer. And I just learned that more than 350 labels have been embroidered! That is great. I look very much forward to come and install the work.

More photos when I start in Chichester will come.

Thank you.

Best Lise

Update from Ciudad Juarez

2010-09-08T09:55:00.002+02:00

I received another email from Diana Washington Valdez yesterday with an update on the situation:

A new statistic for you to use. According to COLEF Professor Julia Monarrez, as of last week, about 997 girls and women have been killed in Juarez, Mexico since 1993. I had a few more than Julia, because of information I was given by officials privately, so by my count, and with the latest weekend murders, the number of girls and women murdered in Juarez has surpassed 1,000.

(I know some people are saying that this is not many compared to the number of men killed. I agree many more men have been killed, particularly in the context of the drug wars, but I also know that historically the number of femicides is unprecedented for Juarez, and, they are too many.)

Yesterday I also met with The Latin American group in Norway (Latin-Amerikagruppene i Norge (LAG), www.latin-amerikagruppene.no,presenting the project and the situation in Juarez for them. They also embroidered labels. Many were familiar with the situation in Juarez, but maybe this meeting can also result in more involvement from them directly with organizations like Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa in Juarez?

Best Lise

Exhibition opened at Hå gamle prestegard

2010-09-06T08:55:00.003+02:00

Desconocida Unknown Ukjent opened Saturday at Hå gamle prestegard. I had great help installing, particularly by Veronica Lozano and due to her help the installment went easier than my normal experience can be.
Just before the opening the other artists opening their exhibition CULTEX also at Hå, sat down and embroidered a label each. Two of the artists are from Japan. In Japanese to tell that a person is dead they have a special word describing the person to have become a star in the sky. They embroidered this word on the label.

I was glad to see that the table for embroidery was in use most of the time during the opening. Some brought labels with them home to do there and send back to Hå. Among them was a boy, age 6. He found a name he liked and colors to use and with help of his mother he would sew a label. He promised to write his name on the back so I could find his label. The following day I had a workshop in the gallery room, also well attended, several families visited and sat down to sew.

Next Saturday, Sept 11th, another workshop will be arranged, hosted by Veronica Lozano. She is originally from Mexico city and can contribute her deep knowledge of her culture to the presentation.

Thank you all for participating in the project.

Best Lise

Last news from Ciudad Juarez

2010-09-02T09:25:00.000+02:00

Early this morning I had email contact with reporter Diana Washington Valdez in El Paso,Texas, getting an update on the current situation in Ciudad Juarez. This is what she shared with me:

336 people were killed in Juarez violence in August, nearly half were women. Since January, about 2006 people were killed in what authorities say are mostly drug-related homicides. They say that about almost all the murders of men and women without first investigating.
Combat-like conditions make it dangerous for everyone, man, woman or child. Recent events include car-bombings, armed hitmen bursting into a movie theater to kill someone, into a VIP's restaurant to kill another man, into hospitals -- no place is safe. People have a hard time trying to go about their daily affairs.

We continue to receive reports of young women disappearing, but the cases are not publicized by the authorities. We know from individual accounts that some women are kidnapped for ransom, others are taken elsewhere for sex-trafficking and others are killed and their bodies disposed of clandestinely.

First day of installing at Hå prestegard

2010-08-31T09:48:00.003+02:00

I arrived at Hå prestegard early in the morning yesterday. When I came to the museum they had built the platform the labels will be installed at. The carpenters had done such good work! I used the day to sort the labels while others painted the platform pink - the color they use in Juarez to protest the murders.

Local people in from Hå, Stavanger, Voss have been embroidering at their homes, sending labels back to Hå. A group of Falun Gong practitioner in Stavanger asked me if they also could embroider the names of female Chinese Falun Gong practitioner, tortured and killed for practicing their belief( for more information see http://www.clearharmony.net/). They sent me back some of the names of these women in addition to labels embroidered with the names of the women of Juarez. Although the starting point for this project is the women of Juarez, abuse of women is happening in every country. The labels embroidered with unknown symbolize this, but to have some actual names from another part of the world is also important.

Thank you all for your contribution. And now I have to go back to work - installing.

Best Lise

Last workshops before exhibition opening held this weekend at Cafe and Gallery Esviken

2010-08-29T22:43:00.003+02:00

Last two workshops before the exhibition opening was arranged this weekend at Cafe Esviken in Asker (www.esviken.no). It is such a beautiful old house, built in 1872 and located by the sea. The first owner of the house was renowned for his hospitality. The house today is run with the same sense of generosity by a fantastic woman, Kristin Ellefsen, in the cafe she is serving home baked bread and cakes, vegetables from the garden, and you pay from your heart. Artists are invited to exhibit there, theater plays and other cultural events happens there...and this weekend workshop for Desconocida was there. Yesterday was a slow day with only a few visitors, but today it was great. Some embroidered watching the movie, some brought the embroidery outside to sit in the sun and sew and others brought the label home to work on it there and then mail it to me.

Thank you all.

Lise

2010-08-29T22:25:00.005+02:00

My second day at Jæren I spent at Hå prestegard, hosting a workshop there. Not many came, but as often with a small group the conversation is better. Thank you for participating.

Best Lise

Embroidery workshop Sola School, Stavanger

2010-08-29T21:57:00.003+02:00

Last week I spent two days at Jæren, at the west coast of Norway in preparation for the exhibition opening at Hå gamle prestegard, Sept 4th. A teacher had read a small note in the local newspaper that people were invited to participate in the project. She contacted me and I was able to come and work with the students, 11 - 12 years. They are about the youngest participating in the project, but doing so with an impressive empathy and skills to embroider. I hope they bring their family to the exhibition to see their work. Thank you students and teachers!

Lise

New embroidery workshops to be arranged

2010-08-23T07:35:00.002+02:00

Dear all,

This week three workshops will be arranged. The first one at Hå gamle Prestegard, Jæren on Wednesday August 25th, from 1 to 3 PM. Saturday, August 28 and Sunday, August 29 workshops will be arranged at Cafe and Gallery Esviken, Asker. Both days from 1 to 3 PM.
The embroidered labels made in these workshops will be included in the upcoming exhibition at Hå gamle prestegard, opening Saturday September 4th.

For more information please see:
http://www.hagamleprestegard.no
http://www.esviken.no/

I hope to see many!

WELCOME

Best Lise

Embroidery workshop Pallant House Gallery and with high school from Chichester

2010-07-16T08:37:00.003+02:00

Last weekend I spent in Chichester, arranging several embroidery workshops in Pallant House Gallery. It was a very good experience, I met so many engaged dedicated people, both among Pallant House staff, museums visitors and young students. Friday morning started with a workshop at a high school in the area, embroidering with 11 and 12 year old girls. I started the session by asking them what they thought of embroidering names of women and focusing on a difficult situation so far away from Chichester. One of them answered "...but we have to care, we are all part of one large world" And the girls cared, embroidering beautifully and engaging eagerly in the conversation.The afternoon was spent in the gallery with older students from the same school. They stayed after school time to participate.

Saturday and Sunday was open workshops for the public. Although it started off a little bit slow, in the afternoon several labels had been embroidered. Some came to deliver a label that had been embroidered at home and to pick up more names to do. A man came on Saturday, spent a long time listening to the stories, he had never embroidered before. On Sunday he came back to sew a label. He told me how he had called friends telling them about the possibility to take part in this project. These gestures make me so glad. Because this is how this project can continue to grow!

And please, if you would like to participate where ever you live, just send me an email with your name, address and how many labels you need. I will send you all the materials you need and information about the situation in Ciudad Juarez. There will also be a prepaid envelope to send the embroidered labels back to me. The labels you embroider will then be part of the exhibition opening in Pallant House Gallery in October and travel from there to other places in the world and continue to spread awareness.

Best Lise

Invitation to participate in embroidery workshop at Pallant House Gallery July 10th and 11th

2010-07-05T13:27:00.004+02:00

For those of you close to Chichester, UK, please join me at Pallant House Gallery,
and participate in embroidery workshops:

July 10 from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm
July 11 from 11am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm

The labels embroidered will be featured as part of a growing installation to be displayed at Pallant House Gallery in October 2010 as part of the exhibition Contemporary Eye: Crossovers (October 2010-spring 2011) featuring international contemporary artists - such as Grayson Perry, Tracey Emin, Rachel Kneebone, and Laura Ford - exploring traditional craft techniques such as ceramics, textiles, wood carving, glass and taxidermy.

Workshops are free with admission to the Gallery but if you would like to take part but are unable to visit please contact the Gallery and a label will be posted to you which you can return.No previous knowledge of embroidery is needed to participate!

Best Lise

Embroidery workshop Trondheim Center for Contemporary Art, Trondheim

2010-06-04T23:06:00.003+02:00

June 2nd I visited Trondheim again to hold an embroidery workshop in conjunction with the exhibition REALITY CHECK at Trondheim Center for Contemporary Art.
Due to the exhibition opening in Philadelphia on the same date as in Trondheim I was not able to be present at the opening of REALITY CHECK. Madeleine Park, the curator and director of the gallery, set up the embroidery workstation, and it looked really good. I also found the whole exhibition to be very strong and communicative.

Only 5 people showed up to embroider, but a small group often creates a good conversation which I think we had on Wednesday. Thank you for coming! Tomorrow I am off to London to have a meeting with a Gallery there for a possible embroidery workshop and exhibition of the labels. I will keep you posted.

Best Lise

Final installation of Desconocida Unknown at The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery at Drexel University

2010-05-18T17:06:00.002+02:00

The installation consist of 3850 hand embroidered labels, done by 1900 people in 27 countries. The labels are installed using morse code spelling the Mexican and the US Anthem interwoven. The wall is 2,4 m tall and 9,7 m long.

Art March and performance in relation to Ni Una Mas exhibition May 15th at 3 pm

2010-05-18T16:31:00.004+02:00

The curators for the exhibition in collaboration with Drexel University and Amnesty International arranged an art march to protest the situation in Ciudad Juarez. The march went from the Armory to the Gallery. Around 700 people participated, majority students, the girls in pink t-shirts, the boys in black. The girls were given one name each of a murdered girl in Ciudad Juarez, during the march they shouted the names at the same time, creating a sound that carried all the names together. The Dean of the university, the curators, Amnesty international, Marisela Ortis from Ciudad Juarez, and activist and writer Diana Washington Valdez all held appeals. After the appeals I performed my voice performance Presence, where I hold tones long and high in combination with silence. It was a powerful experience to be part of the march and an important start of the exhibition.

Embroidery workshop with fine arts students at Drexel univeristy, during installation of Desconocida Unknown

2010-05-18T16:21:00.002+02:00

During the week it took to install Desconocida Unknown at the gallery, several students form the univeristy contributed to the project by embroidering additional labels. Some also helped me install the labels, by patiently pinning one and one label onto the wall. Thank you all! After the opening a table is set up by the wall with all needed materials to embroider labels. This table will be there for the duration of the exhibition. I hope visitors will use the table and add new labels. Best Lise

Installing Desconocida Unknown Ukjent at The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery at Drexel University, Philadelphia

2010-05-13T01:47:00.004+02:00

Sunday afternoon I started working in the gallery to install about 3800 labels on a 2,4 x 9,7 m pink painted wall. The labels are installed using morse code, spelling out the lyrics of the Mexican and the American Anthem interwoven.

There are times when I am thinking this is insane, I will never be able to finish this,(and I still have a way to go) but then I look at one of the labels embroidered so beautifully and I think of the pressing situation in Ciudad Juarez and I do one more line.
The last couple of days I have also had great help. Tomorrow there will be an embroidery workshop in the gallery. And by Saturday it all has to be finished, (and hopefully some time before that!) The gallery is doing a great job to attract attention to the show and the reason for the show: to point again to the city of Juarez, where hundreds of women continues to be killed in raising numbers. By April 2010 34 women are missing. I contacted the journalist and writer Diana Washington Valdez to see if she could help me tracking the names of the murdered women the last years. She answered me: I wish I could help you, but the Mexican government has not released information about the womens murders in the past four years, much less names. They are supposed to provide more transparency and even create a Web site for this purpose, but have not done so. When I say they are "supposed to," I mean that the Inter-American Court of Human Rights directed the Mexican government in 2009 to do this. However, I don't think they gave Mexico a deadline for this.
As soon I know something different, I will definitely let you know.

In Trondheim I assume the last things are getting ready for the opening of REALITY CHECK on Friday. I will be there by thoughts and will come June 2nd to do another embroidery workshop, please contact Gallery director Madeleine Park for more information on this event.

And in Philadelphia I hope I see many for embroidering or helping pinning the labels on to the wall, and most importantly at the art march and reception on Saturday.

Lise

Embroidery workshop Trondheim Center for Contemporary Art, Trondheim

2010-05-02T22:54:00.003+02:00

In relation to the participation of Desconocida Unknown Ukjent at the upcoming exhibition REALITY CHECK that opens at Trondheim Center for Contemporary Art May 14th, we arranged an embroidery workshop in the Gallery on May 1st. Despite a cold and rainy Saturday afternoon, a small group came to embroider. I find with smaller groups the conversation to be more fruitful and open , which was the case with this workshop as well.

These embroidered labels will be an important part of the "workstation", a table that will be set up in the Gallery for the exhibition. The table will have all needed materials for embroidery, possibilities to gather information about the situation through internet connections and blogs and showcase of videos. Hopefully the labels embroidered yesterday will inspire more people to sit down and embroider while they visit REALITY CHECK. During the exhibition period I also hope to come back to Trondheim to host another workshop event.

Thank you!

Best Lise

Femicides have increased in Juárez City with the arrival of the army

2010-04-29T23:36:00.001+02:00

Femicides have increased in Juárez City with the arrival of the army
ABC - Salamanca, Spain, 15 April 2010
Femicides have increased in Juárez City with the arrival of the army, three Mexican lawyers said today in Salamanca, where they are attending a conference organised by the Torre del Clavero Foundation of the Salamanca College of Lawyers.

All three are long-time fighters for human rights in their country. Two of them, David Peña and Micheel Salas, were the lawyers who took Mexico to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights over the deaths of eight women in Juárez City in 2001, the so-called ‘Cotton Field’ (Campo Algodonero) case. The third is Alba Cruz, a human rights advocate, who reported on the ‘harassment and threats’ she has been subjected to in the State of Oaxaca.

The three stated that, with the entry of the army into Juárez City, ‘femicides have increased’. David Peña said, categorically, that ‘now it’s the worst it’s been in recent years’, because violations of human rights ‘are not just being committed by individuals, but by those who ought to be protecting them’.

At a press conference, Micheel Salas produced figures to back up the lawyers’ claim, stating that in 2009 ‘184 killings of women took place, the highest figure since 1993; prostitution has grown 400% in Juárez City and disappearances have also grown 400%; and this year so far 12 young girls have disappeared.’

Alba Cruz pointed to the ‘impunity’ of State officials in relation to human rights violations, stating that although ‘many of them have been identified as torturers’, they remain in their posts. This is because ‘there are no mechanisms in place to sanction them,’ added David Peña.

On the same topic, Micheel Salas said that Mexico ‘rewards’ senior officials who have ‘violated human rights’. She cited the appointment of Arturo Chávez Chávez as Mexico’s Attorney General, despite his having been ‘named for dereliction of duty by the National Human Rights Commission, which recommended that he be investigated’ .

Over his role in relation to femicides in Juárez when he was Attorney-General for the State of Chihuahua. [Translator’s note]

The three lawyers identified the ‘legal system’ as the reason for the lack of legal protection suffered by victims.

According to David Peña, ‘the structural shortcomings of the system, which is outdated and archaic’, added to the ‘attitude of public officials who continue to resist incorporating the defence of human rights into their activities’ and the ‘political structures’ of Mexico, make the violation of human rights ‘a routine and unpunished occurrence’.

Alba Cruz, who has received threats from officials in Oaxaca, alleged that all violations of human rights since 2006 ‘remain unresolved; the Governor of Oaxaca, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, is still in his post, despite a Mexican Supreme Court ruling in October 2009 which found him responsible for basic human rights violations’.
For her part, Micheel Salas commented on the indictment of the Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón for investigating crimes committed by the Franco regime, saying that his situation is ‘terrible’ and that Garzón has been an ‘inspiration for Justice’ and a person who ‘believes in human rights’. She expressed her solidarity with one who has ‘ennobled the profession of lawyer’.
Translation Eileen Haley

Embroidery with 450 students at Middle School

2010-04-29T23:16:00.003+02:00

At the end of March I spent 2 weeks at a middle school outside Oslo, embroidering with nearly 450 students. The last day of my visit the students made an exhibition of their embroidered labels. At times about 10 students were working simultaneously on the piece, letting the 650 labels form a Peace Dove. In a few days the Dove will be taken apart again and the labels sent to me to become part of the next installation of all the labels, May 15th at The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery at Drexel University in Philadelphia, USA. Thank you students!

Making exhibition at Middle School, Akershus

2010-03-20T10:56:00.003+01:00

Embroidery Middle School in Akershus

2010-03-20T10:28:00.003+01:00

Hi all, This week I have embroidered with about 120 students, all 15 years of age, at a Middle School outside Oslo. Some of the students had some really interesting questions, among them a boy who asked how I knew they really cared? And of course I cannot know, but I believe spending time, doing something very concrete, needle and thread in your hands, can leave "a seed" to reflect over, very different from just reading an article in the newspaper. And to me that is a very good start. Some of their reflections come through when they make their exhibition. These students spent a long time writing a summary of the project, how they experienced the workshop, along with short notes on other people´s response. It was a very good experience to visit this school. Thanks to all!! Lise

The situation in Ciudad Juarez is worse than ever - last news from Marisela Ortiz, Ciudad Juarez.

2010-01-14T17:11:00.005+01:00

In the city of Ciudad Juarez there are more and more crimes against men and women. We live between fear and helplessness. Last Sunday January 3rd, Josefina Reyes, a social activist and fighter, was killed. One of her sons were killed and the other one kidnapped. She protested in public and decided to go into a hunger strike to call for an investigation and for a withdrawal of the military army in the city. The belief is that the very same army killed her. She received several death threats from the army prior to her murder. With all these facts you can understand the risks we live in, in our lives.
Also, Leobardo Alvarado, known for his social activity demanding the withdrawal of the military and denouncing the abuses of soldiers, has had three members of his family kidnapped last week. So far not knowing anything about their whereabouts.

Extermination is declared for those who do protest and defend human rights.

This is how things are now. I send all my love with this note about the protest.

Marisela Ortiz

Protest out of the PGR denouncing the killing of Camarade Josefina Reyeshttp://www.griterio.org/2010/01/07/protesta-fuera-de-la-pgr-denunciando-el-asesinato-de-la-companera-josefina-reyes/

By griterio on Enero 7, 2010
This Thursday, 7 January, brought together various organizations and people outside the PGR to protest the killing of activist Josefina Reyes, a resident of Valle de Juarez.
Josefina Reyes who in life was one of the first women who reported abuse of violence against women, and also raised her voice against militarization and the widespread impunity that exists in Ciudad Juárez, was killed on 3 January , after having received several death threats from the army for fighting to defend human rights.
This is the reason why local activists gathered outside the PGR to repudiate military policies of the government of Calderon, making the state responsible for the death and destruction of people of Juarez.

Paintings with "Chavez Chavez and Calderon have to resign for murders," "dignity," "Justice" "respect" among others, as well as flyers, blankets and shouting "Juarez, Juarez is not barraks, get the military out of here". The people expressed their indignation. However, there were not only demonstrators who attended the meeting, In the premises of the PGR, in a threatening manner, were heavily armed federal police. They could see the anger and impatience of those who live with daily abuse of the army and federal police, maneuvered by a government that is ruled by hatred, greed and neglecting people.

As a reminder to the fallen Camarade, on Saturday 9 January at 8 am, there will be a motorcade to the cemetery of Guadalupe, to lay a wreath at her grave, the starting point will be on Avenida Juárez Porvenir, from the Avenue of Technology (bridge backwards), from which we start at 8:30 and arrive to the cemetery at 10, to go back to Juarez and end up in the PGR of Ciudad Juarez.

Do not forget: Demonstrate against the siege that exists in this city! It will not end with just a single event.

Not one, not another one!

Get the military from the streets!

Juarez, Juarez is not the barracks, the army out!

More info on www.griterio.org--
Mtra. Marisela Ortiz Rivera
"Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa"
Tel. oficina (52-656) 624 9936
Celular: (52-1-656) 638 56 40
www.nuestrashijasderegresoacasa.blogspot.com
http://www.proyectoesperanzacdjuarez.blogspot.com
www.radiofem.net

Trailer Projekt La Esperanza (working with children from murdered and missing women):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjLRIDps6PY

In Spanish: En Ciudad Juarez cada vez más se incrementan los crímenes de hombres y mujeres. Vivimos entre el miedo y la impotencia. El pasado domingo 3 de enero asesinaron a Josefina Reyes, una luchadora social a quien después de secuestrale a uno de sus hijos y posteriormente asesinarle al otro, protestó públicamente y se puso en huelga de hambre para exigir investigación y la salida del Ejército de esta ciudad, ahora se piensa que el propio ejército la ejecutó ya que recibio varias amenazas. Con estos hechos pueden ustedes tener idea del riesgo en que vivimos.
También a Leobardo Alvarado, conocido luchador social que ha exigido el retiro de las fuerzas armadas y denunciado los abusos de los soldados, una semana atras el ejército secuestró a tres miembros de su familia sin que hasta ahora se sepa nada de su paradero.
El exterminio esta declarado para quienes hacemos protesta y defendemos los derechos humanos.

Así están las cosas. Les envió todo mi cariño y esta nota sobre la protesta.

Protesta fuera de la PGR Denunciando el asesinato de la compañera Josefina Reyes

By griterio on Enero 7, 2010
Este jueves 7 de enero se dieron cita diferentes organizaciones y personas a titulo personal fuera de la PGR, para protestar por el asesinato de la activista Josefina Reyes, habitante del Valle de Juárez.

Josefina Reyes quien en vida fue una de las primeras mujeres que denunciaron los abusos de violencia contra las mujeres , y que de igual manera also su voz para denunciar la militarización y la gran impunidad que se vive en Ciudad Juárez fue asesinada el pasado 3 de enero, despues de haber recibido varias amenazas de muerte del ejercito, por luchar en la defensa a los derechos Humanos.

Es por eso que activistas de la localidad se reunieron fuera de la PGR, para repudiar las politicas militaristas del gobierno de Calderon, haciendo responsable al estado por la muerte y destrucción de los y las juarenses.

Con pintas que decian: “Que renuncien Chavez Chavez y Calderón por asesinos” , “dignidad”, “Justicia” “respeto” entre otras , así como volanteo, mantas y al grito de “Juárez, Juárez no es cuartel Fuera ejercito de él” fue que las personas manifestaron su indignación, sin embargo no solo fueron l@s manifestantes l@s que acudieron a la cita, si no que al interior de las instalaciones de la PGR de manera amenazadora, se encontraban policías federales fuertemente armados que solo veían la rabia y la impotencia de quienes día a día vivimos el abuso del ejercito y de la policía federal maniobrado por un gobierno que se rige por el odio, la codicia y de olvido para el pueblo.

Como recuerdo a la compañera caída el sábado 9 de enero a las 8 am, se realizará una caravana vehicular al panteón de Guadalupe, para dejar una ofrenda floral en su tumba , el punto de partida será en la Avenida Juárez Porvenir, pasando la Avenida Tecnológico (puente al revés), de donde saldremos a mas tardar a las 8:30 hacia el panteón a las 10, para salir de regreso a Juárez y terminar en la PGR de Ciudad Juárez.

No olvidemos que manifestarse contra el estado de sitio que se vive en esta ciudad no termina con una sola manifestación.

¡Ni una, ni uno más!

¡Fuera militares de las calles!

¡Juarez, Juarez no es cuartel , fuera ejercito de él!
mas info en www.griterio.org

--
--
Mtra. Marisela Ortiz Rivera
"Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa"
Tel. oficina (52-656) 624 9936
Celular: (52-1-656) 638 56 40
www.nuestrashijasderegresoacasa.blogspot.com
http://www.proyectoesperanzacdjuarez.blogspot.com
www.radiofem.net

--
Tráiler del Proyecto La Esperanza (trabajo con niños y niñas familiares de mujeres asesinadas y desaparecidas):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjLRIDps6PY

The situation in Ciudad Juarez is worse than ever - last news from Marisela Ortiz,

2010-01-14T17:11:00.000+01:00

Embroidery with Middle school in Akershus, Norway

2009-11-13T14:06:00.003+01:00

Last couple of weeks I spent at a middle school outside Oslo, embroidering with nearly 250 students. They sewed, watched videos and we discussed: the situation in Ciudad Juarez, the situation for women in Norway, and we discussed the role of art in pointing to current ongoing situations in our world. As with the other schools, something special happens when the students are deciding how to install and exhibit the labels in their school. Then another type of dialogue are happening, one that to me seems to hold another type of reflection. I am glad I have the opportunity to also work with the students in this manner and let the labels stay at the school to continue to raise awareness for a few weeks. Thanks for your contribution students!

Best Lise

Desconocida at Stenersen Museum

2009-07-16T17:08:00.003+02:00

I went by Stenersen Museum today to visit the installation, being very curious to see if the workshop table is in use. And it is! From the last I time I went by, many more labels have been embroidered. One thing made me sad though, last time I saw such a beautiful label embroidered with the word unbekannt. Each letter made in its own color. Today this label was gone. I looked everywhere and the only solution I find is that someone took it. What a sad thing to do!

Best Lise

Desconocida Unknown Ukjent showing at Stenersen Museum Oslo

2009-07-06T11:19:00.004+02:00

June 20th the exhibition Off the Beaten Path: Violence, Women and Art, opened at Stenersen Museum, Oslo. Link: http://www.stenersen.museum.no/Pressebilder.htm. Desconocida Unknown Ukjent is presented by a table for workshops,including materials for embroidering labels, showing two videos: Lourdes Portillo´s: Missing young woman and Lise Bjørne Linnert and Jose Ferriera´s Threading voices. On another computer visitors can go to different blogs and current articles from Ciudad Juarez, see link http://www.sveinkvamme.com/desconocida_stenersen/

2887 labels, the number embroidered up til now, are placed on a pink painted platform.

I have hosted two workshops so far, not too many participants but both workshops held, in addition to beautiful embroidered labels, thoughtful and interesting discussions. One of the participants was a survivor of abuse and prostitution. She said she was glad to see an exhibition that did not focus on the ugliness of the violence, because as a victim of abuse and violence she explained how you feel ugly, dirty and the beauty you held somehow are lost. In this project she felt each woman was seen as who they were and not what they had been a victim of. This feedback was good for me to hear.

I am also very glad to see that the table is in use without any planned workshop. Every time I come by, I see new additional labels having been embroidered. I feel touched and glad that people do sit down and spend time concerning this very important issue.

Update on the current situation in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

2009-06-16T07:16:00.005+02:00

I spoke with Marisela Ortiz, the leader of the organization Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa yesterday and she shared information on the current situation in Ciudad Juarez:

Since spring 2008 the military have had a strong presence in the city due to the war on drugs. Maybe one could think that this would provide more safety for the population, but this is not so. More than 2000 complaints have been raised against the military's behavior and violent abuse of the people it is supposed to serve. The complaints is of rape,murders,innocent people being beaten up...and where is the complaints leading? Who should they complain to?

The situation for the women are worse. In 2008 130 new women were found brutally killed. So far in 2009, 35 young women have been found killed, 25 more are missing. Many of them in their teens. Two of the women murdered, were teachers and activists, known to help families of the disappeared women. They were found more or less executed. Of course the level of fear is rising. Marisela says, this is what the killers want, a society in deep fear not using their voice to protest. The organization refuses to follow this and continue their strong and load voice of protest.

Unfortunately the news media are very quiet about this side of the situation in Juarez.

Lise

Embroidery back from Shanghai, China

2009-06-05T11:46:00.004+02:00

A few days ago I received an envelope with a card, leftover of threads, needles and beautiful labels embroidered in Shanghai, by an international group of women, one Swedish, one from France and one from Shanghai.

June 20th Desconocida Unknown Ukjent will be part of an international exhibition: Off the beaten path. Women Violence and Art, opening at Stenersen Museum in Oslo. The exhibition is curated by Randy Rosenberg from USA and brings together 17 artists from 15 countries, all engaged with art related to fight against abuse and violence towards women. I will host two workshops during the exhibition period, the first one Sunday June 21st. I will post the time at a later point.

NRK,Safari, a program on our National TV Station, has made a reportage about the project which will sent Tuesd June 9th at NRK1 at 10:30PM. It will be sent again the following day at 7pm at NRK2. I will post links to see it over internet after the show cast.

Best Lise

Images from embroidery in Ramallah, West bank, Palestinian Territory

2009-05-06T15:42:00.001+02:00

Embroidery with students in Tel Aviv, Israel

2009-05-06T15:20:00.003+02:00

Last week I went for a few days trip to Tel Aviv and the West Bank to work on several projects, but also host embroidery workshops for Desconocida. I embroidered with students at an art school in Tel Aviv, one day and two different groups of Palestinian women on the West bank a few days later. I had more time with the students in Tel Aviv and was able ot show part of Lourdes Portillo's film Missing young women andthe group moved from discussions about the situation in Juarez into thoughts of human rights in the general, the value each life holds. In Ramallah at the West Bank and a Christian Palestinian village I visited we had less time to talk, but both places I felt a connection was established. The embroidery they did was incredibly beautiful.

Lise

Important! Fund raising for mothers to have their cases go to Interamerican Court of Human Rights

2009-04-13T23:35:00.001+02:00

Three of the cotton field murder cases are going in front of the Interamerican Court of Human Rights April 26, 28 and 29th. The lawyers that are arguing this case have been able to raise air fare for two of the mothers, who will travel to Santiago, Chile to testify. However, both Irma Monreal and Josefina Gonzalez will need money for expenses.
Below is a request from Cecilia Balli. cecilia_balli@yahoo.com
(We request, due to the short time left, that if you can help, you communicate directly with her.
Also below is a message from Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa who have been assisting with this case.

I'm writing you because I received a call from Irma Monreal on Thursday. As you may know, she, Josefina Gonzalez, and Benita Monarrez will be taking their daughters' cases before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights at the end of this month. Josefina and Irma will be able to attend the hearing in Santiago, Chile, with the help of the human rights attorneys in Mexico City who are pressing their case. The attorneys have found the funds to pay for the two mothers' plane tickets, but they have asked the women to bring their own money for meals and other daily expenses. I saw Irma and her family in January, and I know they are hurting financially because her daughter, son, and daughter-and-law have all been laid off in recent months. She has asked for help in raising a bit of funds; I think she would probably need a few hundred dollars. connect her with potential donors.
If you can help directly or can think of any leads, please let me know.

From Malu of Nuestras Hijas (My rough and partial translation)
The lawyers for Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa, Lic. David Peña and Lic. Karla Micheel Salas, members of the National Association for Democratic Lawyers have coordinated a litigation team in the case known as the cotton field case. This case will be argued in front of the Interamerican Court of Human Rights (this is part of the UN system and Mexico is a signatory to the treaty) over the lack of investigations and the absence of response by the Mexican government according to their obligations since the case was submitted to the court in 2007. Oral arguments will take place in front of the court on April 26, 28 and 29 in Santiago Chile.

This case is a key case in the feminicides in Juarez since 8 bodies were found in the cotton field with marks of torture and rape. This is the first case to come from Juarez and is the first case of feminicide in all of Latin America. (the previous case is from Chihuahua and the Mexican government lost at every stage of the process, which continues).

Last image from installation high school

2009-03-30T18:42:00.001+02:00

Recent updates on Desconocida

2009-03-30T18:00:00.003+02:00

Last week I embroidered with high school students. Only 42 students this time, but all very active and a good discussion was created. Attached are photos from their installation.

Desconocida in general continues to attract attention, on Thursday April 2nd, I will host a workshop for our National TV station, NRK, that will make a reportage on the project. The workshop will be held at Stenersen Museum in Oslo. This museum will host the exhibition Off the beaten path, women, violence and art, opening on June 20. Desconocida Unknown Ukjent will be one of the work to be shown in this exhibition.

To read a resume from the seminar held in Epsom, UK before the opening of Desconocida there, go to: http://www.transitionandinfluence.com/desconocida.html

And also, if you would like to participate, please contact me.

Best Lise

More images from the opening and the seminar

2009-02-15T17:54:00.001+01:00

More images from Desconocida at The gallery at UCA

2009-02-15T17:41:00.003+01:00

2009-02-15T16:08:00.003+01:00

The exhibition opened on Feb 10th and will be on view until March 22nd. Due to the extreme snowfall in and around London it was a challenge to finish in time and have the local community engage in embroidering, but somehow it all came together and everything was in place by 6 Pm on the Feb 10th. The last labels were embroidered the same afternoon in a seminar held in conjunction with the opening and attached to the wall the last 30 min before the opening. The seminar was well attended and several different artists and curators spoke. The topic was communication through the arts of difficult themes. I will later post a resume of the discussion.

To work with Lesley Millar and her team of technicians have just been wonderful. We had some trouble to get the sound piece to function as planned, and I am so impressed by the patience and the effort the technicians showed trying to solve it. And they did, after 3 days work! And of course it was a small simple thing, such as the correct cable...
Thanks again to all contributing.

Lise

Publication "Desconocida : Unknown" made for the exhibition

2009-02-02T15:57:00.002+01:00

For the exhibition a publication has been made generously supported by The Freedom of Expression Foundation, Oslo, Norway, The Norwegian embassy in London, UCA,Epsom, and Arctic Paper Norway A/S, The publication will be sold with its income going to education of youth in Ciudad Juarez. Information about how to get hold of the publication will be posted later.

It is a fully illustrated publication with an introduction by Professor Lesley Millar, UCA Professor of Textile Culture, an in depth conversation between Lesley Millar and Lise Bjørne Linnert, and an essay by Professor Kathleen Staudt, Professor of Political Science, University of Texas, in which she outlines the context of the project. The images are a selection from all the images sent the artist from workshops globally.

Exhibition @ The gallery at University for Creative Arts, Epsom, UK

2009-02-02T15:43:00.004+01:00

I arrived in London yesterday to start working in the gallery to day...but with a snow storm worse than any in 10 years everything is shut down in London, meaning I am stuck in my hotel...at least I can use the time to update the blog.

Here is information from the gallery:

Exhibition The Gallery, UCA Epsom 10th February – 22nd March 2009
Desconocida :Unknown
Lise Bjørne Linnert
http://www.ucreative.ac.uk/index.cfm?articleid=22341

Seminar
UCA Epsom, February 10th 3pm – 5pm

In support of the exhibition we are holding a Seminar at which we will be discussing the wider issues surrounding the communication of difficult issues and examining what constitutes effective communication. The seminar will explore a range of methods of/approaches to communication that might be appropriate when dealing with such issues. What other ways can we use to report or communicate information; to what extent can we retain control or empower, especially within circumstances in which there is an element of abuse or a sense/perception of helplessness? We are inviting a range of individuals who have pertinent experience or views about this subject to be part of the audience. The Seminar will be free, if you would like to attend booking is essential.
For further details and booking please contact Lesley Millar on lmillar@ucreative.ac.uk

Workshop
UCA, Epsom February
4th 11 am -1 pm
11th 11 am – 1pm
Lise Bjørne Linnert will be holding a workshop at which members of the public are invited to embroider nametags. The workshop will be free, if you would like to attend booking is essential. For further details and booking please contact Lesley Millar on lmillar@ucreative.ac.uk

More images from last school's installation of labels

2009-01-18T12:45:00.002+01:00

Embroidery middle school outside Oslo

2009-01-17T20:59:00.006+01:00

A new year started with embroidery with close to 300 students at a middle school outside Oslo. A school in a new beautiful building with lots of light, open space and students interested in the project with many questions, reflections and engagement.

The last day at the school was spent helping a group of the students to exhibit the embroidered labels, 520 labels in total. Our designated space was in the hallway. 10 students participated, some ironing the labels, some making sketches for how to install and others writing a short text to present the work. Although I find the embroidery workshops interesting, something different happens when the students are thinking of how to present the labels. To hear how they reflect, how they think of symbols to express these thoughts are both moving and inspiring.

While installing we are continuously interrupted, in a good way, by fellow students looking for their label and commenting on the progress. The group started off by wanting to create a symbol for women that could lead into other readings. When they had installed their original plan, more labels were still to be pinned. One student looked at his hand pointing to the lines in it and suggested the rest of the labels could form lines on the wall, resembling the lifeline in his hand. Following that idea, soon lead to read other interpretations...these lines could be seen as maps as well...

Thank you students for your beautiful minds and ways to express and think.

Lise

Embroidering with students at Middle schools outside Oslo, 3rd school

2008-12-09T18:32:00.003+01:00

The third school I went to was small, only 20 students at each level. I embroidered with 9th and 10 th graders. One student wrote a poem in response:

In the fabrics of a lost Mexico
Workers come and go
Narrowed eyes, peering out from shadows
Follow their every move
When lost and missed
No one notices, No one takes action
Families left with tears
In our ignorant world
Like lost souls they wander
In forever darkness, searching for the light of
HOPE

In January I will visit the last school on this "tour".

In February Desconocida Unknown Ukjent is invited to the gallery at University for Creative Arts, Epsom, UK. The exhibition is curated by Lesley Millar, I will get back with more information about this later.

Good bye for now,

And THANKS ALL STUDENTS FOR A GREAT JOB AND COLLABORATION!
Lise

Embroidering with students at Middle schools outside Oslo, continues

2008-12-09T18:00:00.003+01:00

The next school I went to was in another part of Akershus. Here I only embroidered with tenth grade students. Again very interesting days for me, also the fact that I travel to so many areas of my own city, an hour drive outside to places I have not been before and I meet young people living outside the city. It brings different points of view into the discussion although they all share being young in Norway. In this school, the workshops went also well with engaged students, but I experienced preparing for the exhibition specially good.

The group of students here decided to install the labels in three symbols: the symbol for piece, a reverse triangle as a symbol of women and a circle as a symbol of the earth. They titled their project: Piece for Women on Earth. While we prepared, some were ironing labels, some where cutting fabrics to make the background for the symbols, and others again were writing texts. We talked about abuse of women in general, if Oslo was a safe city to move around in, about how wrong it is to blame the women, and moved into minorities and difficulties arising from this. We shared thoughts from homosexual adopting children to greek mythology and women's position in that society. The last part due to one student's extraordinary knowledge of this topic. She was sitting with big dangling piece symbol earrings speaking of women's right with such clarity and knowledge. Inspiring!!

Embroidering with students at Middle schools outside Oslo

2008-12-09T17:16:00.003+01:00

Since October I have been touring to Middle schools in Akershus, around Oslo with Desconocida Unknown Ukjent. The tour is part of a cultural program initiated and run by the Norwegian Government called "Den kulturelle skolesekken" (translated it is something like "the cultural backpack")where art in many different forms are brought out to students at schools in all parts of our country.

So far I have been visiting three schools and it has been really interesting.

The first school I went to I embroidered with all the students at the school, 170 in total, through several 3 hours workshops with 20 students in each workshop. The last day a group of 9 students made an exhibition of their embroidered labels. This will be on display at their school until February 2009. The students had all seen Bordertown, a Hollywood film based on the situation in Juârez. They were active in our discussions, some groups more than others, but every student embroidered name tags and did such beautiful work!

At this school they choose to install all the labels forming three hearts, the middle heart with a cross in the middle. One group of students wrote a short text to present the work.

Desconocida Unknown Ukjent showing at SOFT gallery, Oslo

2008-09-30T18:50:00.006+02:00

Desconocida Unknown Ukjent has been presented in Norway for the first time, as a solo exhibition at SOFT gallery in Oslo. The show opened August 21st and was up until Oct 5th. It was well received, with many visitors as well as many participants in the two embroidery workshops held during exhibition time.

For the exhibition in SOFT gallery I chose to present the project with emphasize on workshops and documentation. Photos on the wall and in folders, text and a workstation for embroidery was filling the space. The embroidered labels were this time presented on the wall in small envelopes, installed as a timeline, each envelope addressed to where the workshop had been held, one envelope for each workshop arranged globally.I screened two films in the space, one on a computer being Missing young woman by Lourdes Portillo. The one projected on the wall was Threading voices the documentary film I have made about the work that is done in Juarez to empower the women in particular.

An important focus in this exhibition has also been the arranged workshops we hosted. Two evenings people came together for embroidering, conversation and to see the film by Lourdes Portillo Missing young woman. Both workshops were well attended. Some has also sat down to embroider labels on their own while visiting the exhibition.

The show was seen by a professor and curator from the University College for the Creative Arts in Epsom, UK. She is now working to get the exhibition to the university gallery, the plan is to show the work in a solo exhibition there beginning of February 2009.
Before this opening I will work to improve the documentary film I have made. I find the film to have its main structure in place, but it needs to be refined. Working hard to get funding for this. I also would like in this show to present my performance as a soundpiece to remain in the gallery room for the duration of the show.

Next week I start touring youth schools in Akershus, Norway, with the project. After Christmas about 2000 young students will have been embroidering the names of the victims of Juarez. Each participating school will also make an exhibition at their school of the labels they have embroidered. I am excited to start this work and look forward to collaborate with so many young people!

Until next time,

Lise

Update on Desconocida Unknown Ukjent

2008-06-12T22:16:00.002+02:00

Hi all.

A long silence on the blog, but not any "silence" in working with the project.
A youth project has been established, selected to tour middle schools from the fall, through a governmental program called "The cultural school bag". Through this program about 1200 students will embroider in solidarity and to protest the still ongoing murders in Juarez, Mexico. For this project I am currently working on a documentary film that will emphasize the wonderful work Marisela Ortiz and her organization Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa do, for families of the victims, but also for the community in general, working specifically with youth. Marisela's belief is that the only change that can happen has to come from within, and any small change one person does will have an impact on someone else and so on. The film will be presented at an exhibition I will have in Oslo in August 2008. The exhibition will emphasize the political aspect of the project and show documentation from all the workshops held globally, along with several workshops held during the exhibition period.

Working with the film I was recently in Juarez. We were invited to stay with Marisela and her family in Juarez. A wonderful experience which gave us a very different view and understanding of the work she does. While we were there the Hollywood movie Bordertown, was shown in Juarez. The film was causing an uproar and major protest from many people; People who want these murders to be forgotten, hidden, covered up in a hope of living a normal life. Marisela helped the film crew knowing details of the stories by letting them meet and talk with families of victims etc. In interviews about the film on TV she was also the only one that stated that this film did not even come close to tell the truth of what is going on in Juarez. As a result she and her family have received death threats and are now under Amnesty International watch. The time we were in Juarez also collided with intense fighting among particularly two different drug cartels, which raised the violence in the city to new levels. The military came to try to calm things down a bit. A scary presence in the street.

And nothing really seems to change from the governments attitude. Women still disappears, only now to be explained they have run off. Bodies found is described as death of normal cause, even if the woman is found with a string around her neck.
Although the important work for change has to come from within, the international society can help by putting pressure on the Mexican government. It also helps to know you are seen and heard outside your country, when inside this is hard to feel.

This will have to be it for today, I will try to update more regularly now. And please, embroidering is still going on, Let me know if you want to participate. I also hope the project for the youth could travel to other countries. If you have any interest in this let me know.

Best Lise

New groups embroidering, new projects developing

2007-12-17T23:49:00.001+01:00

Recently several groups have been included in Desconocida, embroidering the names and discussing the situation in Juarez and relating to women’s situation in their own community. Attached are some photos from high school students in Kingwood, coming an hour early to school to be part of the project. Thank you!

My upcoming focus for Desconocida is to develop a sub project specifically towards the youth, through the schools system. I am about to make a documentation video from my recent trip to Juarez to be included in this project. Through the schools in Norway and eventually in other countries I hope to engage the youth to embroider and discuss women’s situations in Juarez and in their own community. Instead of sending the embroidered labels back to me directly they will make an exhibition in their school using the embroidered labels. If the exhibition is temporary, they will send the labels to me when the exhibition is over. All groups are asked to document their work and exhibition and send me. I will also suggest that documentation can be sent to own government or to the government in Mexico, maybe through local press.

A grant for this project has been provided by the Norwegian Art Council.

The last photos is from a new work I have made in connection to Desconocida, titled Ni Una Mas! It consists of all the images I have received from the workshops around the world, and all the images I took on my trip to Juarez, printed as greeting cards and sewn together in one long roll, with red silk thread. The roll measures 230 meters and consists of 1151 images. As I receive more images from workshops the roll will continue to grow.

I would like to thank everyone participating and supporting the project and wish you all a peaceful Christmas and a happy new year.

Best Lise

Daily notes #3, Friday afternoon -Saturday morning

2007-11-02T12:40:00.000+01:00

12pm
We are in the car again, on our way to Anapra Lomas, one of the poorest areas in Juarez, where many of the victims lived. On our way we pass many Yonkies; red, yellow, blue, green parts of cars (I think) are stacked in rows, half a car is hanging over the fence. I see Tortilla shops colorful painted. We stop at a light and suddenly I become aware of the light poles: they all have black crosses painted on them. The city tried to stop this action, but the victims’ families were allowed to do it because the poles were not under the cities control. (Didn’t understand the details of this)

As we come closer to Anapra Lomas, the roads become worse. Marisela tells us that actually the roads are finally being repaired closer to this area, not due to the need of the people in Anapra, but because a hotel is being built not far away…

Marisela points out a house, it says “Sorros del Diserto” (Neighborhood watches) on the wall. It is the “office” for a local organization that arrange research in the desert for bodies, and try to help protect the people in this area. The young men in Anapra Lomas have also organized themselves as guards, and are patrolling the area constantly. We see them on almost every corner. When we arrive the school is over, which means many children and young people in the streets. They all are very skeptical of any stranger, and specially any photos being taken. They suspect many of the missing girls were selected using cameras before they disappeared ….

As we come towards the “center” of this area, I see a white church. It looks so deserted in a way. Maybe because it is a real building, painted bright white, very clean and different from the rest of the area? Most of homes here are built of materials found on the streets. Facing the church I see a big white fence in a distance, on top of the hills behind the fence, I can see figures walking back and forth. These are the drug cartel’s mansions, patrolled by people hired to kill if someone comes close. When I turn the other way, I can see parts of the University of Texas, El Paso. The buildings look monumental from here.

Every light pole here has wires and lines going in all directions from them. People steel electricity by connecting themselves to the light poles and drag the line into their home. A very dangerous connection, causing many fires, electrocutions, both among the ones setting the line up to steel, but also among children playing on the ground. I can imagine how this looks like when rain have been poring down for a while…

Around the next corner, we see a support center also established and run by people living in the area. Kids are suddenly surrounding the car now, laughing, a boy makes a face to us. (We just passed the elementary school.) We have to make another stop, a road truck is stuck in the sand…

1:45pm
We are outside the PGR, “Procuraduria General De La Republica” to meet with Rolando Alvarado, the previous chief of investigation for the federal cases in this state.

We have to sign in. A woman takes us to the meeting room (Nakar whispers to me that she had a role in Bordertown, she was the substitute for Jennfier Lopez, in some scenes as her body looked like JLopez’.. !)

The room we come into looks very formal. Mexican flag on the wall, a round table where Marisela, Marcela and I sit to wait. Nakar and Jennifer sit on some chairs along the wall. Rolando Alvarado comes in, a man dressed in a crisp white shirt and a black suit. He smiles and greets us. He knows Marisela. He speaks a little bit English but prefer the conversation to be in Spanish. I show him the embroidered labels, and explain the project. He likes what has been done, but he says the situation has been magnified and turned worse than what is the reality. He tells us he cannot answer any question related to any ongoing investigation, partly because he no longer is in charge of the investigation. We ask him to explain how the investigation works in general. The federation government can only take on cases that fall under certain criteria. The crimes have to be proven organized, such as connected drugs- or organs trafficking. (Prostitution is not a crime). In February 2003 the federation government officially recognized 14 cases of the 300 women murders as federal cases.

The investigation of these cases resulted basically in showing how ineffective and corrupt the local police handle the cases (which he didn’t say clearly, but is my conclusion of his description). No one is today in jail convicted for these 14 crimes….

The story he told to explain the investigation of one of the cases was the case connected to a testimony from Miquel Angel Vasquez (Feb. 14th, 2003) given while in custody of local police. He admitted to have killed one of the girls. He claimed to have two other conspirators: Hernando Valles Contreras and Javier Garcia Chiuhuahua (“El Canario”)

These three individuals were in jail for 90 days, while the PGR investigated the cases further. The local police had captured Miquel through a prostitute’s testimony. The police had captured her for something else. On her, they found a cell phone, belonging to one of the killed women: Alajandra. The prostitute told that she bought the phone from Miquel Angel Vasquez, and identified him through a tattoo saying Miquel on his left fore arm. When GPR looks into this testimony, they discover that the tattoo tying Miquel to the cell phone sale was made late in 2003, long after the sale of the cellphone was claimed to have happened. No other evidence existed and Miquel was left free….

We ask him what protection he was given when investigating the cases and what protection the GPR can offer victims continuously threatened and having a local police without trust.

As for himself, he was protected only by a chauffeur, when he worked on the cases. As for families with continued threats, the federal government can only protect them if again this is connected to organized crimes. If so, they can move them, give them new identity etc. For all the rest, they can do nothing…

We ask him about the statue of limitations, telling when I case will be closed forever.

He is happy to tell us that the law has recently been changed from 14 years before, to minimum 20 and maximum 50 years now before a case is locked and closed for any further investigations.

He ends our conversation by telling his non-official hypotheses:

He believes the killings are not serial homicides, but occasional. In serial homicides the victims are looked for and the killings are planned. With occasional homicides an occasion presents itself, the criminal takes advantage of that moment….

By this the conversation is over, he takes us out to the hall and hurry on to a new meeting…

Marisela tells that she respect him for his honest trying to make a difference while when he was running the investigation. We didn’t find out why he was taken off the cases…

3pm
In the car again, crossing the border. Jennifer is going to get a new pair of jeans. Marisela asks us if we can do her a great favor when we get to El Paso. She has bought a coat that got ruined first time she wore it. The store refuses to take it back. She has a sense that if I try, looking western, I will not have any problem. I don’t. The coat is returned and money reimbursed me without any questions! While we cross the border we interview the three fantastic women and girl we have spent the day with, wanting to hear what are their driving force!

5 pm
We are dropped off outside the University of Texas, Liberal Arts department for our last meeting with professor Irasema Coronado.

We ask her how and why she became involved in the situation in Juarez.
She says that first of all she is a mother and grandmother herself. 7 years ago the daughter of a friend of her disappeared on a date to Juarez. She was supposed to meet the son of the chief of the local police. He claimed she never showed up, and was never questioned any further. Her car was found but never her. Anywhere, around a corner, in a store, the mother can still think she sees her, and she has to run over to take a closer look, only to find out it is just someone looking alike…

Irasema tells she don’t work closely with the mothers and the mothers family, She has found that the best she can do is raise awareness and try to have policy changes happen. She and another professor at the University, Kathleen Staudt, have worked on having the FBI and the US recognize the murders as binational issues. They have managed to have several resolution passed, through city councils and county government. They also managed to get 7 members of congress coming to El Paso and Juarez to look into the situation. We asked of any reports are being published after such visits, but unfortunately reports are not published. But the media coverage is important. They arranged a big rally and a march with Jane Fonda from el Paso to Juarez.

Every year they arrange a meeting against violence, inviting students from Juarez, and El Paso to participate.

Although maquilladoras, violence and corruption exist along the whole US-Mexican border, that kind of murders do not exist in any of other cities, why?

Irasema believes it is extremely important to work with the youth, to promote campaign respecting women and empower young women to be self sufficient. She also believes a shift in focus is needed, a shift towards looking at the man. Why is he being abusive, hitting or killing? Shelters for women and support to them are important, but equally important are to build up resource centers helping men and try to capture the root of the problem. Today such help does not exist.

Last she also believes it is very important to focus on the good things happening as well. Focus on the strength, believe in ability to make changes and put force and support into these areas through information, education, and campaigns.

6:30pm
The meeting is over. Feels like my head is spinning. Irasema takes us to our hotel. We rush to our room, we have been invited to go to the symphony with one of the contacts in El Paso. It starts in 15 minutes, but is located just across the street from the hotel. Both of us really want to go, we wash our faces, put on dresses, full of wrinkles, identical shawls and get tickets. Due to late arrival we have to hear the first part standing in the back, but then we sink into soft seats and continue to hear a fantastic violinist, Lara St John perform. I have never seen anyone play violin with such beautiful body movements. The conductor, Sarah Ionnides, from Australia, also was just fantastic to watch. It was like a performance in itself just to see her whole body move. The music felt like it was going through her somehow, with such elegance and strength. She looked “huge” up there.

We went back to the same café after the concert, and shortly after us the violinist, conductor and a young men sit down on the next table. The conductor was not huge in size at all, rather tiny, but with a fantastic presence. We thanked them for the wonderful concert.

11pm
Asleep

Saturday Oct 20

6:00am
Wake up to go to the lobby, with intention of starting to write on the blog, but unfortunately I check my emails first and find so many that needs to be answered….then a skype call and suddenly no time for blog.

8:00am
Call Continental to get on an earlier flight back to Houston, space on the flight 11:30. Need to take a few more shots at the border and film the crossing the border one more time. Hotel shuttle takes us to Santa Fe bridge again and we cross a last time.

10:00
Back in the hotel again, just missed the shuttle to the airport, but another guy helps us out and takes us there. We get the tickets changed and sit down to have breakfast and a coffee. Somehow we now are so relaxed thinking everything has worked out, and we forget the time….

Suddenly we hear our names being called, they are closing the gate and we haven’t even walked through security,,,,STRESSSS,,,,Marcela runs through, but all my equipment have to be checked. I think this is my first experience of having the breeze from the doors closing behind me urging me not too gently to get into the plain…

Daily notes continue. Friday morning:

2007-10-27T22:27:00.000+02:00

Friday Oct 19th

06am: Still jet-leg, wake up before the alarm clock. Discover that battery charger for video camera is not working, which means both batteries are flat. Stress! We are supposed to be picked up by Marisela 9:40am to come with her to a breakfast meeting with one of the mothers. The mother is going to a conference in Spain on Femicides. We find a Radioshack, and we are outside the store 10 min before it opens. Cold morning air, we are freezing. Marcela buys two shawls, identical except one brown and one black. Radioshack has a battery charger, we are getting late for our appointment. The guy in the store starts charging the battery while we rush back to the hotel to get the rest of our stuff. The hotel shuttle takes us back to the border with a stop at the store to get the battery….

10:00 Late, but we are in Juarez. Marisela cannot stop just across the border so they are driving in circles. While we wait for them, I take some photos. A man approaches us, interested in why we take photos. Turns out he is a teacher at a high school in Juarez. We talk a little bit about the current situation. He is concerned that the good things that also happen in Juarez are getting drowned in the tragedies. You have to believe in change and also see how corruption and injustice is not only happening in Juarez but all over the world. We exchange contact info and Marisela is there.

11:00 Our next stop is in a typical northern Mexican café, where we will meet Julia. Her daughter was killed 13 years ago. Marisela is meeting her to go over the details for her upcoming trip to Madrid, where she is going to talk about the situation in Juarez in a conference on femicides. The restaurant has a bar in the center, where I see many men sitting drinking coffee, reading the newspaper. There are mirrors on all the walls and the tables are set in booths. Marisela orders typical Mexican coffee with hot milk for us. Julia comes and while we wait for the food, Marisela and Julia go over the details. This is not the first time Juila is going overseas. When the Hollywood movie “Bordertown” was filmed, Marisela and her organization were contacted by the film director. He wanted to interview her and mothers of victims to try to capture the essence of the situation. When the movie was finished there was a pre-screening in Juarez to ensure no one was offended or felt the situation presented wrongly. They all concluded though, that the movie only presented a surface of the reality and didn’t capture what really was going on. Some of the mothers, Marisela and her family were invited to the opening of the movie in Berlin(?) They all totally connected to Banderas, who they found to be very honest, warm and caring. He walked down the “red carpet” with one mother on each side and never left their side throughout the evening. Through someone in the film team they also learned he had not charged anything to do the movie (Marcela and I concluded it would have been much better if he had, and given the money as support to the mothers…)

They are still waiting for a reply to a request Marisela gave Jenifer Lopez. The request was for money to help the children of the victims through school….

Julia tells her story to us. The killer of her daughter was the daughter’s husband. Although the evidence was clear, it took 10 years fight to get him condemned. He was sentenced to 9 years of jail. With good behavior he can be out after 4 years, which is in one year. The husband was involved in drug trafficking. His family has continued to threaten Julia and the 6 children the daughter left behind. The children have been beaten up, Julia’s husband has had to close down the store he had due to repeated threats also with guns, all from members of this family. The police do nothing. Julia and her family have applied for an asylum in Canada, through Amnesty International.

Daily notes from my visit to Ciudad Juarez, Oct 18th - 20th

2007-10-23T23:12:00.000+02:00

The purpose for this trip was to try to get a better understanding of the last 14 years of repetitive murders and disappearances of hundreds of young women in Ciudad Juarez, an update on the current situation and gathering material to make a documentary film about the situation with the purpose of getting youth students worldwide to be involved in a sub project “embroidery and gender issues”. I also wanted to gather material for a book I plan to make.

Marisela Ortiz, the founder of and director of Nuestras Hijas, and director of the school “Secundaria Estatal Por Cooperacion Juarez Nuevo” is clear, the change has to come from within the society and the focus needs to be directed towards the youth; The grandchildren of the mothers fighting for their murdered daughters justice, the sons and daughters of the living men and women in Juarez are whom to concentrate on. This imply to not give up on the students having difficulties fitting in, but to find ways to reach them. It is through art therapy and play, through rehabilitation centers, women crises center, through continue to spread the awareness of what has, and still are happening, nationally and internationally. It is to see every obstacle as a challenge to be met. It means to use every opportunity available to force change. What possibilities does education give you? It means focusing on gender issues, what does it mean to be a man and a woman in Ciudad Juarez in 2007. It means education in sexuality.

My notes:
Thursday Oct 18th.

09:15 am: (Houston time)
Marcela Descalzi, co founder of Voices Breaking Boundaries (VBB) in Houston, and I are sitting in our seats waiting for the plane to take off. Been a rushed morning to get there on time. But made it (felt like barely.) Marcela is coming with me for two reasons, number one: She is interested in seeing if VBB can be involved in some ways and secondly, but very important for me, she is there as a translator and a good friend. She is originally from Argentina

10:00 am
Arriving El Paso, luggage not lost, (always afraid of that). Hotel has a shuttle, picks us up after just a few minutes wait. The room is ready early so we can check in. We quickly unpack and gather the gear: video camera, digital camera, microphone, laptop and equipment for collecting sound. (which means two heavy back packs….) Call Marisela Ortiz to confirm time to be picked up in Ciudad Juarez.

11:00am
Shuttle to the border. Dropped off at Free bridge. Start to walk over the bridge and the border. The walk is through a fenced sidewalk. The right side of the bridge is the passage to Mexico, the left side is the passage to the US. We are about 30+ people walking this path. Under me I see a river, flowing with 2 paths, separated by constructed middle section. I see tagging on the sides of this constructed area and I wonder how anyone could get there to do it. There are images of maps and writings I don’t understand. Above me the fence have strips of fabric and plastic wavering in the wind. I wonder how they got attached. It is easy to cross the border this way. Nobody asks us any questions, there are no lines, I see a few policemen as I come closer to the Mexican side. When I look at the left side of the bridge there are 4 lines of cars hardly moving to cross the other way.

11:10
Marisela Ortiz, the founder and director of Nuestras Hijas, and her daughter Nakar picks us up. I think we must have looked a bit out of place, sitting with a big camera bag, tripod and sunhat in the middle of a “roundabout”, to be sure she wouldn’t miss us. (Had sent her a photo of us also)

11:20
Marisela and Nakar take us to visit Elba, the mother of Rebecca, one of the victims murdered 7 years ago. Her case has not been solved and the family has been threatened to stop asking questions. Elba is around 60?, lives with her son, daughter-in-law, Maria, the two children Rebecca left behind, Alison and Danny, and one other grandchild. Maria has recently lost a second child to sickness. Elba meets us at her doorway. I remember meeting her before in Houston where she was one of four mothers invited by the museum to come to the opening of Frontera 450+, an exhibition dedicated to the women of Juarez.
Elba has also been one of the mothers embroidering her daughter’s name.
We are taken into a living room, painted in a bright blue color. On the wall there are several photos of Rebecca, a small TV, paintings and many other momentous. A cat and her four kitties are running around our feet. Rebecca’s two children Danny and Alison, walks in to be part of the conversation. We start by each of us presenting ourselves and telling why we are there. Danny and Alison interview each other. Because I unfortunately don’t speak Spanish I could only follow the conversation through tone of voice, expression in faces and body language. (The interview will be presented on the blog when I have had it translated.) Marisela has worked with these children and other children of victims through art therapy and play. They made a mural together where each child painted something for their missing family member. It is a beautiful and colorful mural.

Maria’s daughter enters the room, and the three children sing us a song, a song about hope for a better life in Juarez. Then they are off for school.

We continue the conversation for another half hour. When we leave we give two disposable cameras for the children; to document what they would like to share with us from their everyday life. These photos will be part of a subproject I will tell more of later.

Elba lives in a poor area of Juarez. Most of her neighbors work in the “Maquilladoras”, The roads are of loose sand, which means it turns to mud when it rains. I see many buses with signs: “Transporte de Personel” coming and going. There are children running around playing. We pass the area’s elementary school and see a play ground. Soon we reach an area of many maquilladoras. We cannot stop the car for me to take photos, the guards would take the camera if we were seen. We stop at a light and Marisela points to an area with grass and flowers growing. Suddenly I see 8 pink crosses. This is the Cotton field where 8 bodies where found in 2001. A Maquilladora is located on the neighboring lot.

The distance from a house made of cardboard to a fenced mansion is not very long. Just a few blocks from the poorest areas new developments are growing. New fancy hotels and shopping centers are popping up.
Every public property is fenced in with wires, most private homes as well, also those households with less income. Marisela tells us that Ciudad Juarez is the city for “Yonke”, which is a latinezed work for Yonk Yard. Anything can be stolen, sold and reused in many creative ways.

3pm
We stop to pick up Nakar’s daughter Jenifer at her school. She is being taken to the car by a safety guard. Jenifer, 11 years old, speaks well English, so good for me because I have an extra translator!

Our next stop is to see “ Secundaria Estatal Por Cooperacion Juarez Nuevo”, a middle- and high school run by Marisela. The school is also located in an area with many factory workers, but the standards of their houses are much better.

Marisela walks with a stick due to a bad knee. She was run over by a car in mysterious ways a few years back and her knee was severely damaged. As we enter the school I can see she is touching the knee several times and leaning hard on her stick.

Marisela takes us first to a classroom where 14 students are working on an art project related to world peace. I see beautiful drawings of all different nation’s flags, set up as hands, the globe, as turtle dove and more.

4:30pm:
We have a delicious lunch in the school’s cafeteria: soup, meatballs and tortilla, before meeting the next group of students. These students are, due to various reasons, hard to keep being focused on school. Marisela therefore takes them out of a normal classroom, put them in groups of eight and have them work on different projects where several goals can be met simultaneously, for example she uses internet as a way to also improve their writing skills.

These 8 students we meet will be part of the photo project, and will combine the photographs with writing.

When we walk in the area between the classrooms I see three young boys playing guitar, in another area a larger group of women are marching, instructed by an energetic man. Some boys are playing basket ball, others come out of their classrooms laughing, the whole place holds a very good atmosphere.

7pm:
It is getting dark and late, Marisela needs to do some work at her office while Nikar takes us to see some more maquilladoras and then the Ciudad Juarez city entrance. Many of the women have been found around the city border where the desert starts. She wants to show us how the huge pink crosses before surrounding this area have been knocked down, tried to be burned. The city is cleaning up its image while a hundred new women have disappeared in 2007!
Along a golden colored city gate, we find traces of the crosses, lying on the ground. We see traces of flowers that has been attached to the crosses. The pink color looks bright surrounded by the sand.

8pm:
We pick up Jenifer and Marisela, They take us back to the border, this time to the downtown bridge, Santa Fe bridge. Nakar sees us through the gate. Marcela and I start the walk back to the US and El Paso. It is dark. The sidewalk is fenced in just like the other bridge we crossed this morning. Still many cars are trying to get into the US. There are about 50 people crossing by walking such as us. Both Marcela and I have strong sense that we are part of some movie scene and that we soon will hear somebody say: “cut”. On the US side we have to walk through security, being asked what our purpose in Mexico was. Our backpacks are ex-rayed. We walk back to the hotel through deserted streets. Make us walk fast even if our bodies ache from a long day.

10pm:
We are sitting in a fancy café sharing a delicious salad, and “quesedillas”, and a glass of Argentinian wine. It feels like the day holds months of experiences….

11pm:
Fast asleep

Visit to Juarez, October 18th - 20th

2007-10-09T18:10:00.000+02:00

It has been quiet on the blog for a while, but the project and people's involvement are just as strong. Two new groups in US are involved embroidering and another one in Canada. There will soon be a conversation around the project on a French cultural website; www.artrealite.com. I will attach a link to the site when it is up.

I am also working on expanding the project to a subproject involving students at middel- and high schools. Starting with Norwegian students, but hoping to include students in other parts of the world as well. Please let me know if you are interested in being part of this, and I will send out more information. More will come on this blog as well when it is ready.

A book is also in planning. I would like the book to hold some of the same qualities I find the wall installation to have, and want it to hold many voices. I would like to invite participants in the project to write feedback and thoughts they may have. Please send this to me by email. I will also soon send out to the group leaders for the workshops a request to include photoes, you have sent me, in the book.

Next week I am going to Juarez to meet with the mothers' supportgroup, some of the familymembers and others with knowledge on the situation. While I am in Juarez I will try to have a daily note on this blog. I look forward to these meetings and to see Juarez and understand more of the situation, specially how it is now.

Until later

best Lise

Desconocida Unknown Ukjent at Luleaa Summer Biennial 2007, Luleaa, Sweden, "Passion of mankind"

2007-06-24T23:44:00.000+02:00

I arrived June 11th in Luleaa, to be part of Luleaa Summer Biennial 2007, "Passion of mankind". It has been a great experience. Everything was so well planned and worked out with so much engagement from the organizers. To meet artists from all over the world, everyone with a different voice concerning passion of mankind, have given me so much to think about and reflect on. I also found the people living in Luleaa to be very engaged. The art hall was every day visitted by people coming by, interested in what we were installing. It made the period of installment a very active and different experience from many other places.

The first day the curators had arranged a meeting for me with a local reporter to discuss Desconocida and the upcoming embroidery event the following day. The reporter wrote such a warm and thoughtful text in the newspaper, which I think made so many people come for the workshop. The workshop went well. We sat in the galleryspace where I later would install the labels and watched Lourdes Portillo's film: Missing young women" while we embroidered the names of the last year's victims of this tragedy. It was very quiet in the room, you could hear the siccors being laid down after cutting the thread, sometimes someone whispered, but mostly we all sat and sewed and listened to the stories being told through Lourdes Portillos camera. Afterwards we had a quiet talk about the situation. Some took with them home labels they later would return to me.

In installing the labels I had many helpers. Both among the people that worked at the art hall, but also fellow artists, such as Frank Bolter, who took all the images from the embroidery workshop.

Two awards were given on the opening of the Biennial. This year the jury selected two works to share one of the awards; Desconocida Unknown Ukjent and Frank Bolter's work: "Little boys of Luleaa"!

Thank you all for continuing to be part of this project!

Best Lise

Desconocida Unknown Ukjent selected for Luleaa Summer Biennial 2007, Luleaa, Sweden, "Passion of mankind"

2007-05-06T16:39:00.000+02:00

Desconocida Unknown Ukjent has been selected to be part of Luleaa Summer Biennial 2007, titled "Passion of Mankind" Exhibition time is June 20th - August 19th 2007.

I will arrive in Luleaa, June 11th, to begin installing the follwing day. On the 12th, I will arrange in collaboration with Kilen Art group in Luleaa an embroidery workshop with the local community, discussing the situation in Juarez while embroidering the names of the victims of this tragedy. The local embroidered labels will be used in the installation in Luleaa. It is also planned a pannel discussion with the artists around the the theme of the Biennial; "Passion of mankind", hosted by a local cultural journalist. I hope the issues of Juarez also can be talked about here.

On the opening I will perform " Presence ", this time collaborating with a local performance artist and film director, Ulla Lyttkens.

If anyone wants to be part of the project and embroider with a group of people in your community, please let me know. We need more participants in order for the project to keep running. remember each embroidered label will in the end get back into local communities through being sewn into a line of clothes and sold with information and income for the women of Juarez.

Lise

Embroidery in groups around the world are continuing

2007-02-21T07:05:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, I got the lables installed at the Station Museum, for the exhibtion Frontera 450+ back. They are now stored waiting for another option to be shown and raise awareness. I am currently working on several ideas to show the work, while the Station Museum is also working on having Frontera 450+ travelling in the US. AND I am also starting up the embroidery in groups around the world again. I have been continuing to receive requests of participating, which I am so happy for. Please email me if you would like to participate or know someone who might be interested. When I have more confirmed information about future exhibition plans for Desconocida I will post messages.

One thing is sure though, the focus on Juarez and the struggle and fight for humanity, dignity and justice is not over!!

Lise

Performance: Presence – Precencia - Tilstedeværelse - to connect

2006-12-29T17:33:00.001+01:00

Performance: Vocal and silence

The women of Juárez have been described as voiceless. They are not. Women are not. Expression of strength and courage can be expressed without words, using precisely the voice.

Our voice is as individual as our fingerprints. Our voice grounds us and the tone of our voice tells more than the words we express.

In the performance Presence – Precencia - Tilstedeværelse - to connect, I am interested in how my voice in intervals with prolonged silence can be used to express strength and vulnerability.
Without using words, I hold one tone load in order to communicate and create space. When faced with purely the voice, and the sound of one tone, the audience cannot relate to words, a musical score or other interpretations. Thus, our defense system is lowered and we are left more vulnerable forcing us to become more present. Just as embroidering was a way to create openness and connection, I see the voice to be a similar vehicle. By also integrating silence of varied length, a tension is created. My vehicle for connection through this performance is my ability to be present and grounded.

The performance at the opening of Frontera 450+, included a collaboration with the performing artist Elia Acre, from Central America. I started the performance in one part of the museum by stepping out of the crowd, first standing in silence, before I did the first sounding. After a couple of repetition of my voice, Elia’s voice echoed from another part of the museum. Slowly she moved through the museum to meet me as our voices met, echoed each other, or challenged each other.

By inviting another woman from South America to participate in this performance we are symbolically exchanging traces and crossing continents. In the museum our voices meet, connect and pass each other.

Images from Frontera 450+

2006-12-27T23:53:00.000+01:00

For more information, statements from participating artists please visit the museum's website at www.stationmuseum.com

More images from Frontera 450+

2006-12-27T23:10:00.000+01:00

Frontera 450+

2006-12-27T23:02:00.000+01:00

Images from Frontera 450+, Station Museum, Houston, Texas

2006-12-27T22:50:00.000+01:00

There were 17 artists participating in the exhibition, majority of them with connections to Mexico. For more information please go to http://www.stationmuseum.com/, where you will find the artist's statements and more images.

Photoes from installation at the Station Museum

2006-12-17T18:35:00.000+01:00

Finally, I have a few images to post. More will come this week....
Lise

Desconcida Unknown Ukjent installed at Frontera 450+

2006-12-01T10:58:00.000+01:00

I can't believe it is almost 2 months since I last updated the blog...that was not my plan..actually I had plans of updating daily as I installed....but I soon realized that I needed all my focus on installing and actually finished 3am, the night before the opening.

Where to start?
On the plain back to Norway after the opening I started to write thinking about the blog and everything I wanted to share with all of you that are part of this project.

Overall I think the exhibit Frontera 450+ is an important and strong testemony and protest against the horror of femicides. The 17 artists invited, all contributed reflections on different angles of the situation. Rosalinda Gonzales and James Harithas installed and placed the works with so much thought. I think the viewer is led through the exhibtion and being confronted with the situation in Juàrez, in a strong but yet disturbing way. The commitment from all the staff and James Harithas at the Station Museum are so real, forceful and great. They want to make a change, they believe art has an important voice in doing so. And I think that is why they time after time makes such strong exhibits. I am really glad to have had the opportunity to work and be with all of them.

So to my contribution:
I'll start with the wall:

I installed the labels using Morse code. I translated the Mexican National Anthem into morse code, letting the dots be the unknown labels and the dashes be the identified names. The identified names were sorted using the year in which the bodies were found and identified. The morse code, which has traditionally been used as a universal language of need, has a designated space between the characters making up each letter, another between the letters and a third marking the space between the words. Overall, the work could be viewed with a cohesive rhythm, representing the Mexican Anthem. Due to the use of 5 lines within each verse, the work could also reference musical scores. As you come close to the wall, each individual name slowly appears. In this way the installation carries another level of meaning and protest. The anthem ends when the last woman identified as of this year, appears. This leaves the anthem unfinished, as it ends in the second chorus.

It was important for me that the installation would hold up and become more than a memorial , that it would connect to what had happened around the world in all the workshops.

I see this wall in the museum as a testimony to each woman, both the living and the dead. The viewer becomes a witness, connecting to the traces of each others existence. These multiple women’s traces are crossing symbolically over the surface as they connect to each other through the threads and fabric. Visually, the embroidered name, even the “unknown”, contains traces of the woman who embroidered. It is through her handwriting, her choice of colours and stitches that she leaves behind a trace of herself. I also believe the dead woman’s name has left a trace with the embroiderer through the time and care she had to use in order to embroider, while simultaneously hearing the stories of individual girls and women.

Installing the labels in this code was very time consuming, repetetive and medidative. When doing it, I realized I was continuing the embroidering. Somehow, each dot, each dash, was another way of stitching memory of the missing women began by you around the world.

On the opposing wall to the installation, I installed text, quates from what many of you have sent me, along with a list of all your names..totally 396 names so far, from more than 20 countries!

The response I have gotten to the installation has been very good and I feel that I have managed to create some of what I was hoping for.

Four of the mothers came from Juárez for the opening. I was thinking of them as I installed, wanting them to get the feeling of support and care that I felt each label held. They spent a long time in front of the installation. Finding their own daughters names, friends...10 mothers had participated in the project and embroidered their daughter's name as well.
I talked with them, trying to explain how it had been made, your quates were translated to them. It was hard though, because their reality is so cruel and hard and it so difficult to believe in how anything can help.... At the same time, knowing that you are supported and that people do care is an important step from the worst of all -being silenced and forgotten!

An art critic and writer wrote to me: "Your idea is simple and elegant, democratic and universal, and it provides an effective quiet moment in an exhibition in which many of the works seem to assault you for your attention. (That's not a criticism of the exhibit or the other work, just a comment on the volume level of some of the videos.) I loved the idea of using Morse code to give form to your installation, since the principal way anyone other than code enthusiasts thinks of Morse code is in terms of the international distress call, SOS. I'm also intrigued by your linking the names of these women to the Mexican national anthem...
Your piece (and, forgive me, I can't remember the title) formed a still, reflective pool in a strong and disturbing (in all the right ways) exhibit."

A review in Houston cronicle disussed the Exhibit and the installation.

The day after the opening there were a panel discussion about the situation in Juárez where all the mothers were given a chance to tell their story. Although I couldn't understand their words, I felt the total hopelessness of the situation and the fury they felt for being treated like waste from the governemt(my words)
I will write in a separete post more about this discussion, but my overall impression is the continuing need of attention. The Mexican government's new approach to deal with the situation is to pretend it has all been a myth!!
They use important PR companies abroad to help them make this cover up story. Our job is to believe and support the mothers and help them improve their situation.

Although embroidering the names is a small step, it is a step towards community and awareness. This has to be all for now. I am waiting for images of the exhibit to be sent to me. As soon as I have it I will post them , and send all of you by email as well.

THANKS!
Best Lise

Opening of exhibition Frontera 450+, approaching

2006-10-03T07:07:00.000+02:00

I am leaving for Houston to start installing the work in a week. My days are filled with counting, checking labels against lists, making sure all the names have been embroidered, carefully ironing them, sorting after day of identified, embroidering more unknown labels...testing installation in my studio...updating lists of all participants..And by today 320 people have embroidered. It shows people's engagement! Of all the envelopes I have sent out, a couple have been very delayed, but all have arrived and almost all have reached me back again. There are only a few that will be sent directly to the US, waiting for me when I arrive. Participants have sent them Fed Ex, or by DHL to make sure it will be there in time. THANK YOU!!

About the final installation, I have got a 26 feet long wall, 10 feet high, being a wide passage from one part of the museum to another, to work on. I will install the labels using Morse code. I have translated the Mexican National Hymn into morse code, letting the dots be the unknown labels and the dash be the identified names. The identified names will still be sorted after when they were found. The morse code has a specific spacing between the characters making up each letter, another between the letters and a third between the words. Overall the work will be seen with a cohesive rhythm, that can be decoded into the Hymn.
Due to the use of 5 lines within each verse, the work can also reference musical scores. As you come close to the wall each individual name slowly appears. This way the installation holds another level of meaning and protest, and changing it from being only a memorial. 1023 labels will be needed to install this way.

Posted are small tests. It is hard to capture the overall sense in a photo, specially since I only have installed a test.

A reminder, the embroidering is continuing throughout the exhibition period and these labels will be used in the project further on. So please, if you want to participate send me an email, or post a comment here.

Again to all; THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS PROJECT. YOUR CONTRIBUTION GIVE THE WORK ITS CONTENT OF WARMTH, CARE AND RESPECT.

Best Lise

Labels are coming back to me

2006-09-17T22:48:00.000+02:00

The labels are starting to come back to me, which I am very happy for. They all look so indivual and bear traces of the person having embroidered it, both through choise of color, stiches and the handwriting. I am looking forward to make the installation in the Museum. The installation will be done as neutral as possible, in order for each label and each name to be seen the best. The essence of this project is located with each participant's time spent to embroider the label while hearing the story of the women.

I got images yesterday along with the labels from a group working in the Philippines. The participants were women survivors of sexual abuse.

I have also posted some images from a group working almost at the other end of the world, up north in Norway, where two communities met to embroider and discuss the situation in Juárez a few weeks back.

I will continue the embroidering during the exhibtion, the additional embroidered labels of each name will be kept and used when, and if, the exhibtion travels. In the end all the labels will be brought back into society again, continuing to raise awareness of Juárez and hopefully also raise some money for the mothers in Juárez. More information about this part of the project to be posted a little later.

Seeing Missing young woman and embroidering labels

2006-09-03T23:09:00.000+02:00

Thursday I showed the documentary Missing young woman, by Lourdes Portillo,
while embroidering labels in Oslo. The feedback from the participants were they all felt participating in a project of meaning and that actually women's fight for justice and worthiness are heard. Just the fact that they and so many others around the world are participating are telling something about connection and support. Symbolically women's traces are crossing. I ended the evening with a performance;
Presence Precencia Tilstedeværelse that I hope to do at the opening of the exhibition. The women of Juárez have been described as voiceless. They are not. Women are not. Expression of strength and courage can be expressed without words, using precisely the voice.

Participants in following countries as of August 31st:
Australia, Argentina, Costa Rica (2 groups), Denmark, Finland, Iran, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway( 8 groups spread out throughout the country), Philippines (2 groups), Spain, Sweden (2 groups), United Kingdom (2 groups), United States (Alaska, Kentucky, New Mexico, Texas (3 groups))

New groups included, report from groups having embroidered labels

2006-08-26T15:21:00.000+02:00

I still get emails several times a week from people wanting to participate in the project, which is wonderful and the essence of this project. This week three new groups are in place, one in Argentina, and two in Oslo, Norway. Another group is waiting for material in Lofoten , North Norway.

The groups having held the event, express feeling being involved and engaged. Also that it matters and can help make a difference. In North of Norway, 24 people got together, including children to embroider labels and discussing the situation in Juárez. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, two particpants had been marching in Juárez two years before to protest and show support for the families. They contributed information and knowledge to the discussion.

News about Juárez states that 2 people in Arizona are taken into custody, maybe having been involved in the murders. A reporter in El Paso times and writer Diana Washington Valdez has just got her book out: Harvest of women, a book about Juárez. In an interview with her on a radio station in Houston she talked about how reportes and activists had been treatened after showing support. She believes in a binational effort in order to solve the cases.

Another day embroidering with students

2006-08-18T22:48:00.000+02:00

Thursday I was back at the high school. The 14-year old boys and girls worked just as hard as their older schoolmates, embroidering the names of the missing and dead women of Juráez. One of the students wanted to involve some other friends outside school and her sister. They worked concentrated for a long time. One boy was sitting a bit apart from the others. When I asked if he needed any help, he said no and showed me a beautiful label embroidered with cross stitches he had learned as a boy from his grandmother! They had many questions regarding the situation in Juárez.
After more than 2 hours work and everyone dismissed, one student didn't want to leave before his label was done. He sat in the empty auditorium while I packed down my stuff, and finished his third label.
Thank you 9 and 10 graders, you have done a wonderful job! Lise

Embroidering for the Women of Juárez with students at Athlete high school

2006-08-15T23:07:00.000+02:00

Monday I went to NTG-u, a high school for athletes. Sixty, 15 year old boys and girls spent three hours embroidering and focusing their attention to the women of Juárez.
It was such a good experience. Although embroidering beeing very new to many of them, they all made one label, some made several.

The labels came out beautiful and very individual looking. Some spent 2 hours finishing, having the needle continously fall out, getting knots on the thread and so on. But it got finished! One made a beautiful hearth at the end of his unknown label,...several skipped the break to embroider some extra.They expressed thoughts about the names they were embroidering.

We listened to Mexican music, and lyrics made about Juárez. Thursday I am going back to the school, working with sixty 14-year olds. Looking forward to it!

Norma Ledesma, mother of Paloma Escabar, found dead 29.03.02

2006-08-12T16:20:00.000+02:00

Picture from the project

2006-08-12T15:48:00.000+02:00

Countries /cities where groups are participating

2006-08-12T15:45:00.000+02:00

I am very glad for the response the project has gotten. People have forwarded the invitation and almost every day I get an email from people wanting to participate.
Thanks to all!!
So far there are groups working in:

Alice Springs, Australia
Costa Rica
Bounes Saires, Argentina
Lancaster, Kentucky, USA
Simpsonville, Kentucky, USA
Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Houston, Texas, USA
Gotenberg, Sweden
Helsinki, Finland
Netherlands
Hampshire, UK
Yorkshire, UK
Madrid, Spain
West Malaysia
Lahore, Pakistan
Oslo, Norway

Desconocida - Unknown - Ukjent

2006-08-10T10:04:00.000+02:00

Desconocida - Unknown - Ukjent

Almost once a week in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, a woman or teen-aged girl simply disappears. Every thirteen days, a woman or girls’s corpse is left, naked, dumped outside. Many bear evident signs of torture and rape. For over a decade this has been the way of life in this border town. Though by some informed estimates
more than a thousand women have been murdered and an additional twelve hundred women and girls are counted missing, the crimes continue unabated.

To focus the world’s attention on these femicides, The Station Museum of Contemporary Art, in Houston, Texas, has dedicated their upcoming exhibition, Frontera 450+,opening Oct 21st, to the Women of Juárez, inviting artists to reflect on the situation.

My contribution is the installation Desconocida Unknown Ukjent, a work made up of hundreds of small labels, hand embroidered with each of the dead and missing young woman ‘s names. To greatly increase the number of counties informed of the atrocities, I have asked citizens, mainly women, in over a dozen countries worldwide to contribute, gathering in small groups to discuss the situation in Juárez while embroidering onto labels the names of the dead and missing women.

My intention with this project have been to set women’s fight on the agenda through a typical female activity, embroidering. Embroidery is an intimate and time consuming activity. Also, historically, to embroider names onto labels was done for the loved ones.

In this project women’s traces are crossing. Visually the embroidered label contains traces of the woman embroidering through her handwriting, her choice of colors, stitches etc. I also believe the dead woman’s name has left a trace with the embroiderer through the time and care she had to use in order to embroider, and by simultaneously hearing these women’s stories.

Through audio tape I am collecting all the voices participating.
The embroidered labels and the audio tape will be sent back to me.

I am engaged in the strength in women’s fight, and specially the strength in the mother’s fight in Juárez. Through their organizing and untiring fight for justice and worthiness, the world got to know and can support them. The women in Juárez have been described as voiceless. They are not. Women are not. Expression for strength and courage can be expressed without words, using precisely the voice.

I hope to include a performance and a sound piece with the installation, based on the voices of the participants in this project.

Participants in following countries as of August 31st:
Australia, Argentina, Costa Rica (2 groups), Denmark, Finland, Iran, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway( 8 groups spread out throughout the country), Philippines (2 groups), Spain, Sweden (2 groups), United Kingdom (2 groups), United States (Alaska, Kentucky, New Mexico, Texas (3 groups))

About the Women of Juárez:

For more than a decade, the cities of Chihuahua and Juárez, near the US-Mexican border, have been killing fields for young women, the site of more than 400 unsolved femicides. Despite the horrific nature of these crimes, authorities at all levels exhibit indifference, and there is strong evidence that some officials may be involved. Impunity and corruption have permitted the criminals
to continue committing these acts, knowing there will be no consequences.

A significant number of victims work in the maquiladora sector —
sweatshops that produce for export with 90% destined for the
United States. The maquiladoras employ mainly young women at
poverty-level wages, amassing tremendous wealth. Yet, despite the crime
wave, they offer almost no protection for their workers.

The women found dead and abused are mostly teenagers
between thirteen and seventeen years of age.
Hundreds other young missing women are thought to have been kidnapped for trafficking. Since most are from rural areas and are living away from home (often without frequent communication with their families), their disappearance may go unnoticed for some time.

Name of the museum:
Station Museum 1502 Alabama Houston, TX 77004
http://www.stationmuseum.com/