Background
Del barrio al desierto is a research-creation project led by sociologist Irene Pochetti and photographer Jean-Félix Fayolle, following a call for proposals from the FMSH’s Arts-SHS programme and subsequently a call from the MSH Paris Nord. It is based in San Luis Potosí (Mexico), a city Fayolle has been visiting since 2007 and which forms the centrepiece of his book Hecho en barrio (Revelatœr, 2023). The project focuses on young people and adults from working-class neighbourhoods, formerly linked to gangs, in areas that have been marked by organised crime-related violence since the late 2000s. Pochetti’s sociological perspective focuses on their spiritual practices: the ceremonies they hold in the semi-desert and their Catholic pilgrimage to San Juan de los Lagos become the subject of transdisciplinary research, with a view to producing a book and an exhibition.
Challenges
- To foster a dialogue between sociology and photography, two disciplines that share the practice of fieldwork but are characterised by significant differences.
- To constructively examine the notion of authorship, on the one hand through transdisciplinarity, and on the other through openness to the participation of local residents.
- To expand the exhibition space through a multimedia installation that presents the project beyond the walls of the gallery.
Approach
The participants first selected the interview transcripts and photographs for the book. A curatorial committee of fourteen local residents continued this process, initiated by Pochetti: the people photographed decide what is exhibited. The formation of this committee was not a foregone conclusion. I was part of the initial research team, championed the idea of a curatorial committee and, during my stay in San Luis Potosí, fostered the dialogue that led to its formation.
Achievements
For the exhibition
- Designing scale models based on the floor plans of the IPBA gallery and the photographs, so that participants could visualise the exhibition space before making their choices.
- Facilitating the curatorial workshops that preceded the main exhibition, in Santiago and San Sebastián.
- Creation of a hanging guide based on the dimensions of the photographs and the gallery walls.
For the website (bilingual: Spanish–French)
- Bespoke WordPress theme, inspired by the ‘ojos de dios’ (woven objects of Wixárika origin) made by local residents: psychedelic colours and a logo by the artist Ilse Flores.
- An interactive map built using QGIS (open-source mapping software) based on data from various sources. It operates at five scales: neighbourhood, city, three states, country, and a broader framework encompassing Mexico, Colombia and France. It links research sites, workshop locations and the stages of the itinerant project.
- A website designed primarily for the exhibition space, but which has been given a dual purpose: it can be accessed in the exhibition space (via a QR code activated in Mexico City, or via a tablet at the MSH Paris Nord) and navigated independently online.
Timeline
- San Luis Potosí, IPBA: opened on 21 May 2025
- Medellín, Parque Biblioteca Nuevo Occidente: from 6 August to 1 September 2025
- Mexico City, Museo Nacional de Antropología (37th International Fair of Anthropology and History Books): from 13 to 23 August 2026
- Saint-Denis, MSH Paris Nord (Fête de la science 2026): from 8 October to 18 December 2026
