In 2008 Mexican artist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, created an art installation in memory of the terrible student massacre that took place in Tlatelolco 40 years earlier.

Participants speak freely into a megaphone placed where the massacre took place on the ‘Plaza de las Tres Culturas’. Based on the volume of the voices, the brightness of a 10kW searchlight is altered. As the searchlight hits the top of the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it spawns three additional searchlights, one pointed to the north, one to the southeast towards Zócalo Square, and one to the southwest towards the Monument to the Revolution.

The citizens of Mexico City could tune into an FM radio station for a live feed of the participants speaking into the megaphone. At the same time, the light beams could be seen in a 15 Km radius.

The voices of the participants were mixed with archival recordings of survivors, interviews with politicians, music from 1968, and radio art pieces. When no one was participating, the three lights would continue to pulse based on the historic audio material.

More information can be found on Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s website. [posted by Jonas Petersen on Digital Experience]