Tens of thousands interact with ‘Border Tuner’; Installation reaches mid-point

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s interactive art installation Border Tuner continues to light up the sky and build a bridge of dialogue across the US-Mexico border, however Sunday, November 24,is the final day in operation.

“The telepresence installation ‘Remote Pulse,’ the “outdoor living room”, and the El Paso-Juárez community’s ongoing participation and dialogue also highlight the final week of the artwork has now been experienced by tens of thousands of visitors,” installation organizers shared via an emailed news release.

To interact with the ‘Border Tuner,’ visitors simply go to one of the interactive stations on Bowie High School or Chamizal Park and turn the dial to direct the searchlights. Once their lights intersect with other beams, the computer will open a bidirectional channel of communication so you can hear the remote participant and vice versa.

The ‘Remote Pulse’ installation allows people to place their hands on a podium that registers their heartbeat and sends it to the sister city and vice-versa. When someone interacts with the installation it allows them to feel the heartbeat of the person across the border. 

Along with the installation, nightly programming features talks on a variety of different topics involving the border community, arts and other themes.

Each night at 6:30pm the project opens with performances and programming including poets, rappers, LGBTQ+ speakers, technologists, historians and other various border voices. After these events, the general public is invited to control the lights from 7:00 pm to 11pm.

For more information, visit the Border Tunerwebsite.