De Aqui y De Alla 

De Aqui Y De Allá (From Here and From There)

Permanent Installation by Adrián Viajero Román at the NYC Facebook offices

2017

A multi-media installation and series of programs that celebrated Puerto Rican history, both on the island of Puerto Rico and in New York City. Developed at the Facebook offices in collaboration with The Loisada Center, the project sought to bring forth collective memories of travel, migration and dislocation; of leaving home and creating home again.

With the current (economic, social, political, health care, education) crisis threatening the island of Puerto Rico, there has been a forced migration of hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans to the United States.  The survival of communities and towns throughout the island is at risk.  How does culture remain vibrant in times of such mobility?  What are the memories that connect us to the various places we call home?

Román collaborated with the Loisada Center, a historic cultural center located in New York City’s Lower East Side - a neighborhood with a historically high concentration of Puerto Ricans that brings together residents from both the Island and New York City for creative learning, innovation and a celebration of culture.  From May-July of 2016, a variety of workshops took place both at Loisada and at Facebook.  The work evolved and grew over time, becoming a vibrant collage of Puerto Rican identity, culture, and community empowerment amidst a backdrop of change, uncertainty and transformation.