Collaborative radio project in 5 sections by Anna Martí-Subirana and Jimmy Peggie
Through sound and narration, this piece attempts to convey the main societal repercussions of large scale mining in the state of Arizona, USA. The history of Arizona is intimately associated with mining activities, since the early days of Native American miners and the greedy, rugged Spanish and American prospectors to the big mining companies that currently operate throughout the state. As rich as its underground treasures, Arizona offers an above ground of cultures, languages, traditions and communities that more often than not, whether they want it or not, intersect at a common ground: the impact that mining has on their lives.
A Vantage Point (Intro)
1. A Separate Everything
The piece chronicles social hierarchies in mines. Hierarchies are constructed on prevalent ethnic and racial prejudices of the Southwest diverse populations: Native American, white Anglo Saxon, Mexican and Mexican-American
2. Convenient Stereotypes
The piece chronicles stereotypes commonly associated with miners and how they can be used to justify exploitation, insufficient safety measures and, in some occasions, to dilute, if not erase altogether, the consequences of fatal mine accidents
3. Supay’s Wrath
The piece chronicles the cultural roots of gender hierarchies, superstition, and stereotyping that rule the mining world
4. Preparation
The piece chronicles labor strikes in Arizona, how they have been neutralized, and how they have shaped mining communities and gender relations.
5. That Yellow River
Mining activities are largely responsible for water pollution. In Arizona, rural and Native American lands are rich in natural resources. This piece chronicles the impact of mining in the daily lives of such communities
Bios:
Anna Martí-Subirana was born and raised in Barcelona (Spain) and pursued studies in Molecular Biology and English & American Literature. She currently lives in Phoenix (Arizona), where she has been teaching Molecular Biology and Engineered and Bioengineered solutions to environmental pollution for the last twenty years. Anna is interested in experimenting, along with her students, with the power of storytelling and the audio-visual arts in creating awareness of environmental and societal issues that affect Arizona communities.
Jimmy Peggie is a sound artist based in Arizona – whose output is centered around the re-contextualization of organic sounds (location recordings, radio frequencies, decaying textures) and integrating them using electronic processing methods. His work is focused on a sense of place, natural processes, transience and imperfection.