Oracle (2015)
For this work, Yoshua Okón spoke to the organisers of a major protest against the entry of unaccompanied children from Central America in Oracle, Arizona. This militia, driven by a fervent nationalist ideology, called themselves the Arizona Border Protectors. They also agreed to re-stage and re-enact the protest.
While the protesters cling to the Stars and Stripes and a manufactured sense of security and hermetic isolation, Okón notes that there is little knowledge of the underlying causes of immigration and the associated role of the US. Due to globalisation, the social fabric is disappearing in countries like Guatemala, where 99% of the profits from mining disappear abroad.
In addition to the town, the title refers to the Oracle Corporation, a conglomerate known for its ties to the CIA. Oracle is a perfect example of the current geopolitical paradigm in which state structures and foreign policy increasingly serve private economic interests.