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I painted with water on the sidewalk around the Chicago Board of Trade, responding to the denied $15/hour federal minimum wage. Incrementally, I added “$15” in water, surrounding the building as it froze into ice.
As the water froze, the path became physically dangerous to cross, reflecting the precariousness and risk embedded in low-wage labor. This act intentionally disrupts the flow of movement, mirroring how workers’ labor underpins and destabilizes the very systems that exploit them.
The performance also draws from the tradition of Chinese calligraphy, painting with water on sidewalks—a meditative, ephemeral act that dissolves as quickly as it appears. Here, the transience of water freezing and melting speaks to the fleeting recognition of labor’s value and the enduring physical toll of survival at $15/hour—or less. Live stream performance for Out of Site & Experimental Sound Studio Chicago
Photos: Ricardo Adame
Video: Jamie Gannon
2021
