The American Choice

Skills/Tools Used: Laser Cut, Adobe Suite, Arduino, Physical Computation, Set Design, Photography

A speculative exhibition that teaches participants about the negative impacts of immigration policy and forced cultural assimilation in the United States.

Project Overview

It all began in 2044, after the United States' victory in the Battle of Selves, when the President Elect called for the organization and efficiency of society and invested federal funds into the development of new identity-limiting technologies. These technologies were developed to help citizens struggling with multiple identity disorder, usually a condition most prevalent among first generation immigrants and multiracial individuals, to narrow down the number of identities they associate with, to a single identity that suits them best. The motivation behind the implementation of Identity Treatment Facilities was that in order to guarantee national security, citizens of the United States must be properly identified so that the government could determine the risk factor of each individual. With individuals of a certain identity living in the same Identity Sect, crime and terrorism could be better monitored by the state.

This process came to be to put an end to the Decades of Homogeneity that occurred under the influence of President Donald Trump. During Trump’s second term in the 2020s, he instituted a series of laws that prohibited individuals from choosing their racial identification, gender, and sexual orientation on federal and state forms, and all identifications were determined at birth (gender was determined by the child’s sex and sexual orientation was automatically deemed heterosexual). Anyone who protested was sent directly to Identity Conversion Therapy Camps.

By 2044, many Americans were still in favor of the Identity Conversion Therapy Camps, but many were upset by the inhumane treatment that took place there and and one’s inability to choose ones own identity. That is why in 2044 the President Elect was determined to give the citizens of the United States a choice. They could pick the identity that best suited themselves, but would be placed into a certain division of the United States with other individuals who identified likewise.

At the Identity Treatment Facilities, each individual would be given a series of identities to choose from that reflected their genetic makeup and another option that simply read American. If the individual chose a racial identity that reflected their genetic makeup, they were allowed by law, to continue speaking their native language, eat their native foods, and practice cultural holidays, traditions, and art forms. If the individual chose American, they would have to speak entirely in English and give up the traditions of their culture. However, if they chose American, they would have access to the nation’s finest medical facilities, better job opportunities, and better access to educational opportunities.

Appeals

Every individual is required to remain within their selected Identity Sect for a minimum of one year prior to their Identity Selection Hearing. After the one year period, individuals are eligible to appeal for an American identification package if they are not satisfied with their initial identification.