Mark Dion

With the creation of a functioning bird blind located in the Tijuana River Estuary Reserve, Mark Dion’s project Blind/Hide for inSITE2000 invited investigation and closer examination not only of the biodiversity of the site, but also of the less apparent signs of cultural confluence specific to the location. Camouflaged to blend into the surrounding terrain, the project was sited within a view of the border. The 8 x 16 feet bird blind structure housed photographs, charts, and books on the 370 bird species found at the reserve, along with binoculars and related research tools. As Dion himself said, he wanted to make a project that illustrated the complicated elements of this particular locale. The viewer was invited to become an observer of the more subtle environmental and political issues impacting the reserve, while bearing witness to how birds and wildlife have learned to conform and adapt.

Curators: Susan Buck-Morss, Ivo Mesquita, Osvaldo Sánchez, and Sally Yard
Venue: Tijuana River Estuary and Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Imperial Beach

Acknowledgments