the border is a private space

the border is a private space is an indexical, performative series of land border-crossings at the U.S./Mexico border from Mexican ports of entry into the United States. With each border-crossing, huang alters variables of their self-image and identification (through modes of appearance/dress, mannerisms, transportation, form of identification, and stated reasons for border-crossing) to create an indexical catalog of their interactions with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspectors. Examining the ritual of passport control and visualization of American national identity through the lens of their body, these films help locate pivotal points at which CBP judgment and perception of threat distinguishes manageable versus unmanageable Otherness as well as identifying the fissures in logic within hard architectures of power.