Pull Over, Please

As American citizens, and therefore privileged, spoiled jerks, most of us have never been harassed or heavily questioned at a border security checkpoint. The closest we've ever gotten to that kind of tomfoolery is watching Children of Men and realizing, oh, man, that would suck to be treated like total crap. Well, all that is about to change: Installation artist Dadara of The Netherlands is bringing those nasty border-security issues all the way to Dallas so we can experience them firsthand! His interactive exhibit Checkpoint Dreamyourtopia is a fantasy world where visitors need immigration forms (and presumably nerves of steel) to cross the border between reality and their dreams. Already a big hit at Burning Man 2008, the event will be at Dallas' own Centraltrak, 800 Exposition Ave., on Saturday. According to his Web site at dadara.nl, Dadara feels that many people around the world are still hoping for the American dream, but "it is becoming more and more impossible to achieve because of increasingly fierce border controls, visa regulations, etc." Of course, entering his dream checkpoint won't be quite as intimidating as the real thing, given that it looks like a big, pink skull and crossbones. But you get the idea. For more information, call 214-824-9302 or go to utdallas.edu/centraltrak.
Sat., Jan. 10, 2009