Voces. Santa María la Ribera

The fourth issue of the fanzine Voces Santa María la Riberais entitled Escucharnos. The publication reflects on the important task facing the inhabitants of the metropolis: to find alternative means of communication and feedback. These will emerge as a result of the interest and attention individuals direct towards the people they live with on a daily basis.

This mission gives rise to the following questions: how do we connect with more people in the spaces that we share? It is not worthwhile establishing better communication? Overcome potential tensions and live with the support of more people?

However, it is no simple matter to overcome the global crisis and the dominant issues of the day; life has never been so depersonalized, repetitive, and tired.

The goal is to open up lines of communication with more people, and offer friendship and support. A reconfiguration and reprogramming is needed to fight for a less individualist life, or based on individuality more toward communication and community support.

The previous issues of Voces have focused on listening to the neighborhood of Santa María la Ribera. The invitation made by those preparing this publication is to listen to this area, listen to the stories that belong to us.

Vocesis produced byIsrael Martínez with the support of the Museo Universitario del Chopo. Vocesis distributed by means of a periphone, that is, a roving loudspeaker usually used to sell products or services in the street.

This issue includes work by Adriana Santiago, Compañía Opcional, Curious Flux, Diego Martínez, Esteban King Álvarez, Gabriela Galván, Guadalupe Cristóbal, Mariana Ampudia, Mirna Castro and Mónica Sorroza.

Contents of the fourth issue

Articles in this issue include: The voyeur: a culinaryexperience. This is a restaurant run by blind people whooffer the incomparable experience of “blind eating”, enabling diners to enjoy a meal paired with a glass of wine. The names of the food are not given, with the intention of rediscovering flavors with all the senses save that of sight.

Reyna:“No step without a sandal”covers one of the few workshops making traditional sandals in the area. Located at Santa María la Ribera 43-A, it seeks to preserve, respect and foster Mexican crafts while preventing the tradition from disappearing under the flood of fake products from other countries.

Geology museum: where layers of time overlapdescribes the period when this venue was built, in the second half of the nineteenth century. It is a place of encounter between the epoch of President Porfirio Diaz and the present day. Yet the museum does not only evoke the history of the neighborhood; its collection takes visitors to a different dimension of time, with the objects on show offering a panorama of the extraordinary size and longevity of the Earth and the universe.

Of particular note is the article on El Alebrije Arte y Culturaand El laberinto Cultural Santama, two cultural centers found in the neighborhood. El Alebrijeis a venue and café that promotes projects by artists living in the area, and

hosts workshops and different kinds of events (talks, performances, and others) at no cost to the artist.

Questions or comments: voces.santamaria@gmail.com

If you wish to learn more about the work of Israel Martínez,see www.suplex.mx where you can also download a free digital copy of the fanzine.