The desperation
of those illegally crossing into the U.S. from Mexico and the ingenuity of the
traffickers who exploit them is matched on the authorities’ side by high-tech
x-ray, thermal, and infrared imaging. Using the handmade cyanotype process,
Noelle Mason re-presents publicly sourced images of migrants concealed within
vehicles. By placing these images in the realm of fine art—emphasized also by
her parenthetical titles referencing famous paintings suggested by the uninten­tional
poses of figures—Mason challenges the dehumanization of technological
surveillance and prompts her viewers to consider the complexities of migration,
technology, and our images of humanity.