In 1997 Garcia created Glass Houses, which is a multi-media website giving a virtual tour of her home. She uses terms like “chanclas” (slippers) buttons to order to enter her home as it was done in her own house hold and using the expression “mi casa es su casa” to invite her viewers in and to feel comfortable to look around. This journey into Garcia’s home uses digital photographs in her “living room” showcasing three images of herself during different stages in her life, that is displayed against a floral background or wallpaper. The first photo is her as a child and below saying “Mexican”, the teenage photograph in the center identifies as “Mexican-American” and the last photograph as an adult says “Chicana.” Below all these images it states the question, “How do we survive in a world driven by assimilation and maintain our culture identity?” This is a political statement and a communicative statement that others would understand on a vulnerable level, an understanding that several generation’s worth of contemplation and self-imposition.
I enjoyed this piece by Garcia, it shares the challenges or battles with oneself when facing the understanding of identity. Which is a problem many of us as human beings go through; if it’s not knowing more about your heritage, being discriminated for your culture, or having the feeling of belonging within two countries. There are so many different reasons to feel this sense of not belonging or feeling alienated in your own body.
Jacalyn Garcia Lopez, Glass House, 1997. Web 1.0
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