Public Project
Mala Hora - At the Wrong Time
MALA HORA
Al menos 174 mil personas han muerto debido a incidentes violentos desde que el presidente Felipe Calderón declaró la guerra contra el narcotráfico en 2006. Veracruz ha sido uno de los estados en el sureste de México que ha padecido esta guerra muy de cerca, registrando un repunte en la tasa de homicidios de 15.5 por cada 100 mil habitantes en 2016. Es decir, un incremento del 158% en el periodo 2010-2016. Las cifras del Registro Nacional de Datos de Personas Extraviadas o Desaparecidas ubican a Veracruzen el segundo lugar en desapariciones, con 202 casos a finales de ese año, sólo después de Guerrero.
De 2011 a 2016 el porcentaje de la población que se consideraba insegura pasó de 64 a 85.1%, según la Encuesta Nacional de Victimización y Percepción sobre Seguridad Pública de México. Con estas cifras, la noche se convierte en una superficie peligrosa, un espacio clandestino donde ocurren los actos más violentos y terribles.
Paralelo a esto, en las redes sociales circulan mensajes anónimos donde se advierte del toque de queda, una medida inconstitucional. Así, las calles se vuelven un territorio sórdido a causa de la violencia que ha imperado en Veracruz desde hace diez años.
Mala hora es un acto de resistencia que hace uso del registro documental de las calles que nos han sido arrebatadas por el temor. Entre las 22:45 y las 4:00 horas realicé recorridos en los que encontré signos, pistas y cuestionamientos: ¿En dónde se halla el terror? ¿Dónde está el control? ¿Qué es el miedo? ¿Qué es lo que aquí sucede?
AT THE WRONG TIME
At least 174 000 people have been murdered since former President Felipe Calderón declared the war against drug trafficking in 2006. Veracruz is one of the states in southeastern Mexico which has experienced this war at very close range; in 2016, there was an increase in homicides of 15.5 for every 100 000 inhabitants—in other words, an increase of 158% from 2010 to 2016. The statistics of the National Databank on Missing or Disappeared Persons place Veracruz second in numbers of forced disappearances—outnumbered only by the state of Guerrero—with 202 cases by the end of 2016.
From 2011 to 2016 the amount of residents who said they felt “unsafe” has gone from 64% to 85.1%, according to the National Survey of Victims and of the Perception of Public Safety in Mexico. With these figures, the night becomes a dangerous place, a lawless site where the most violent and terrifying actions can take place.
Additionally, anonymous messages circulate on social networks warning people about curfews, which are unconstitutional. This is how the streets have become a kind of no-man’s land due to the violence that has prevailed in Veracruz over the past ten years.
At the Wrong Time is an act of resistance that makes use of documentary records of the streets that have been taken away from us through fear. From 10:45 p.m. to 4 a.m., I went to areas where I discovered signs or clues that then raised more questions: where do we locate the terror? Where is the control situated? What is fear? What is going on here?
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At least 174 000 people have been murdered since former President Felipe Calderón declared the war against drug trafficking in 2006. Veracruz is one of the states in southeastern Mexico which has experienced this war at very close range; in 2016, there was an increase in homicides of 15.5 for every 100 000 inhabitants—in other words, an increase of 158% from 2010 to 2016. The statistics of the National Databank on Missing or Disappeared Persons place Veracruz second in numbers of forced disappearances—outnumbered only by the state of Guerrero—with 202 cases by the end of 2016.
From 2011 to 2016 the amount of residents who said they felt “unsafe” has gone from 64% to 85.1%, according to the National Survey of Victims and of the Perception of Public Safety in Mexico. With these figures, the night becomes a dangerous place, a lawless site where the most violent and terrifying actions can take place.
Additionally, anonymous messages circulate on social networks warning people about curfews, which are unconstitutional. This is how the streets have become a kind of no-man’s land due to the violence that has prevailed in Veracruz over the past ten years.
At the Wrong Time is an act of resistance that makes use of documentary records of the streets that have been taken away from us through fear. From 10:45 p.m. to 4 a.m., I went to areas where I discovered signs or clues that then raised more questions: where do we locate the terror? Where is the control situated? What is fear? What is going on here?
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(This is a short edition of the work if you are interested in knowing the full photographic body of work. Write to the email: koralcarballo@gmail.com)
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This project was supported by the FONCA Young Creators Grant 2015-2016
Entrevistas acerca del proyecto / Interviews about the project
Bienal de Fotografía en México
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Catalogo de la XVIII Bienal del Centro de la Imagen en México // Catalogue of the 18th Biennial of the Centro de la Imagen in Mexico
PHMuseum Interview
+ Entrevista por PHMuseum sobre el proyecto // Interview by PHMuseum
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