JUBILANT EMIGRATION

Spring 2023

Set in the 1980s Salvadoran Civil War, this investigation starts with acknowledging the history of violence against trans female sex workers who made their living tending to military soldiers of the time in La Praviana, San Salvador. With the continued need for trans female sex workers to escape violence today, this thesis calls for the reactivation of the Salvadoran National Railway which will serve as a moving infrastructure that mobilizes queer bodies away from harm. The site of intervention is an antique railcar of the national railway, known in English as “The Silver Bullet”. This intervention will transform the interior railcar into a place for rest, utility, sex, empathy, and celebration.

There are a series of five progressive activities that occur across the whole railcar including: to sell (fruit), to cruise (seeking an anonymous sexual partner), to disrobe, to penetrate, and to pray. The final installation of the project is a three-foot span, one-to-one scale reimaging of the railcar that measures up to seven feet tall and nine feet wide, and displays the fourth activity- penetration.

Materials used include assorted fabrics, polyfill, foam beads, plastic beads, faux flowers, paint, jewelry, photographs, anal plugs, dildos, toy guns, tampons, tassels, wood, military garments, stuffed animals, and condoms.