reconstructions of my own

For those of you unfamiliar with Argentine history, the period from 1976 to 1983 was known as la Guerra Sucia, the Dirty War; it was an age of state-sponsored violence against the left. Students, activists, political dissenters, innocent bystanders and witnesses were crushed by the hand of the military regime. Depending on who you ask, casualty estimates range from 9,000 to 30,000 people dead or disappeared. The effect of this violence still grips Argentine politics and culture.

An important facet of the healing process since coming out of the Dirty War is the reconstruction of a collective memory. By piecing together the evidence--the accounts, the pictures, the prisons, the DNA--there's this idea that telling this story, reconstructing these events can mobilize the public: "Never again will we let this happen. Forever will these names, these stories, these people live on in the tale of Argentina for the sake of our society and our posterity."

Of course, reconstructing this memory has its own shortcomings. One narrative, the popular narrative, dominates the reconstruction. The other narratives are dumped or are on the fringe. Maybe that's what they deserve. How can you justify the deaths of all these people? It's apparent that most Argentinians have not bought the "security" argument posed by the military rulers of the day and their sympathizers. Why should they after suffering so much?

This is not a post to pass judgment on a society I do not yet fully understand, though I do have my own opinions to be shared at a more appropriate time.

This post is an introduction to my own reconstructions of memory, and in essence, a tribute to the life I live, the people I love, the things I do. How will I remember my narrative?

I'm cutting back on the realism. Creating and recreating artistic, literary, and cultural capital--a piece of you, a piece of me, a piece of the world, a piece of imagination, and my place in a collection of collections. This is as much about me as it is or ever will be about Argentina.Since when has art ever been art for art's sake?