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, I alter variables of my self-image and identification as minoritarian femme (through modes of appearance/dress, mannerisms, transportation, form of identification, and stated reasons for border-crossing) to create an indexical catalog of my 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 my body, I am interested in locating the 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.