Arts & International Affairs: 2.3: Autumn/Winter 2017 | Page 31

ON PEDRO REYES’ THE PEOPLE’S UNITED NATIONS (2013–2014)
attention with projects such as Palas por Pistolas (Guns for Shovels) (2008), in which the
artist took guns from the Mexican drugs war, melted them down and re-cast the metal
as shovels. A prolific artist, Reyes has had solo exhibitions namely at Creative Time, New
York, USA (2016); Dallas Contemporary, Texas, USA (2016); The Power Plant, Toronto,
Canada (2014); Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA (2011); Guggenheim Mu-
seum, New York, USA (2011) and his group exhibitions include The National Museum
of XXI Century Arts (MAXXI), Rome (2015); Beijing Biennale, China (2014); dOC-
UMENTA (13), Kassel, Germany (2012); Liverpool Biennial, UK (2012); Gwangju
Biennial, South Korea (2012) and the 50 th Venice Biennale, Italy (2003).
The project originated from an invitation from Larissa Harris, curator of the Queens
Museum, and marked the reopening of the building following extensive renovation.
Two important facts about the museum informed the work. First, it had housed the UN
General Assembly from 1946 to 1950 (before the move to the purpose-built UN head-
quarters). Second, the New York district of Queens, where the museum is situated, is
one of the neighbourhoods in the world with the highest diversity per square mile. This
led to the idea of developing two performances with a 193-member mock delegation
comprising New York immigrants and their family members: all were either immigrants
from the 195 members and observer states that currently make up the UN or had family
connections to them. Under the official motto of the project—“hands-on with a vision”
(see Figure 1)—the participants discussed issues ranging from gun controls to climate
change. As is stated in the pUN Workbook:
The seal of pUN is inspired by the hamsa (literally, “five” in Arabic).
This open right hand with an eye at the center of the palm has been a
symbol of protection across cultures and millennia. Originating in Af-
rica, the hamsa predates Christianity and Islam. Workers’ and peoples’
movements have often been represented by a hand, sometimes holding
a tool or closed in a fist. Here, the hand is open [...]. This benignant hand
placed over an orb is meant to signal our mission to protect the planet.
And here, its five fingers represent the world’s five populated continents
(Queens Museum. 2013b:3).
Drawing on a wide variety of conflict resolution techniques—including the Theatre of
the Oppressed, a technique used for conflict resolution developed in the 1960s by Au-
gusto Boal, a Brazilian stage-director; Force Field Analysis, a social science technique de-
veloped by Kurt Lewin; and techniques from couples therapy, to name but three—pUN
sought alternative ways of confronting, discussing and resolving problems such as global
poverty, food scarcity, drone attacks and weapons proliferation. Organised according to
the structure of speed dating events, a bell rang to signal to the delegates that they should
move to the next table and discuss a different subject. The programme of events includ-
ed lectures by experts, which were followed by a vote from the delegates (see Figure
2). Provocatively, the project suggested that these techniques are potentially more pro-
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