The Sedimentary Effect

/ Editor-Curator

Andrea Torreblanca (Mexico) is a curator and writer from Mexico, and the Director of Curatorial Projects at INSITE.

  • Program El Sitio: A Timeless Way of Building | May 18, 19, 20, 2023

Q & A with Andrea Torreblanca
INTRODUCTION

The Sedimentary Effect is a five-year project (2021–25) being developed for INSITE’s current initiative, COMMONPLACES. Conceived by editor-curator Andrea Torreblanca, The Sedimentary Effect is envisioned as a platform for artists, curators, writers, and various publics to explore alternative ways of understanding and imagining the context of Baja California, Mexico, and San Diego County in the United States. Through different “chapters,” or points of departure, the project aims to delve into multiple layers of the border region through a constellation of commissions, experiences, dialogues, and histories designed to prompt and suggest new routes for engagement with this vast and singular place.

Each chapter is focused on distinct microhistories and natural phenomena unique to the region—from Santa Ana winds, to Pacific Ocean artisanal fishing, to Donald Judd’s travels to Baja California and the development of modular houses by the architect Christopher Alexander in Mexicali, to Lomaland, the Theosophical society founded by Katherine Tingley in San Diego.

The Sedimentary Effect chapters will each unfold in four components: Artist Commissions (context-specific works in a variety of disciplines); Conversations (expeditions, encounters, and public dialogs at sites throughout the region); both print and online editions of the INSITE Journal (including commissioned texts and visual essays by writers, artists, curators, and researchers); and Collaborations/Exhibitions (the presentation of artworks, screenings, or talks jointly organized with institutions in the region and beyond).