Amelia Farfán Góngora who is a teacher in the town of Valladolid lectured on the role that new technologies have in the educational system currently in place in the rural areas of Mexico. She presented the problems the teacher faces when the material that is meant to be presented via a Television feed is not available because of technical difficulties just minutes before class is about to start. The teacher is often left not knowing exactly what her role is from day to day.

Verónica Garcia Rodriguez presented the art of a young generation of local artists, many who develop work that is textually based, but which takes different forms in the public arena, as murals or posters or other types of wall installations that people notice as they move through the space. Many of the works are playful critiques of pronounced class difference.

Stephanie Max and Allan Schindler presented a set of abstract videos they created together. The animated graphics were all done with analog and digital processes and were synchronized to experimental music. It is crucial for both Max and Schindler that their compositions and sounds are made from scratch and with open source software when computer technology is used.

There were also video screenings throughout the week. Balanquet hosted a screening of Bulbo's video documentaries from Tijuana that focused on the everyday life of taco stand workers, rudo (rude) wrestler stars and hip hop rappers performing in Spanglish, or Spanish; these were groups which exposed the richness that makes Tijuana a city on the U.S./Mexico border, a rich place full of cultural contradictions. He also hosted a series of videos from Cuba with heavy social commentary on the state of being human as well as the role of media in defining how people relate. There was a special sound and video performance by Mr. Tamale, a collaborative consisting of Antonio Mendoza and Alberto Miyares in which I also participated. It consisted of sounds created by Miyares with samplers and a bass, while Mendoza projected remixed images ranging from hardcore porn videos to horror films like The Shining. This particular performance was four hours long. I was invited to play with them and I performed with a set of conga drums.

On the final night, subRosa presented an eloquent analysis on how body parts are being sold around the world. They were careful to debunk myths of the human body and familiarized the audience with the politics of body parts in the global black market. Their presentation consisted of a methodology that combines feminism and transnationality among other critical disciplines to develop new forms of criticism and resistance against the abuse of individuals, especially women.

Besides these presentations there were others I unfortunately was not able to attend. One thing that became obvious in the presentations I was able to attend is how diverse the participants were, yet how they all held together with a common bond, that of a critical position geared towards alternative forms of interpretation and presentation of work.

The biennale was well received; a local and a national newspaper reviewed the exhibit. Many of the participants, including myself, are writing or have written about it for online publications. This is a great thing because it shows how the motivations behind InteractivA--that of crossing over and creating alternative spaces and reevaluating options for working creatively--were and are actually being put into practice even as the Biennale came down.