BENEATH THE SYSTEMBeneath the System uncovers the human stories often obscured by immigration systems and policies. It invites viewers to explore the emotional and structural layers of migration, revealing how movement is not only regulated by borders and laws but deeply experienced by individuals. By examining the contrast between institutional control and personal narrative, the project challenges audiences to consider who defines belonging, whose voices are heard, and what lies beneath the surface of policy. Beneath the System asks not just who draws the line—but who lives beneath it.
Who draws the line?
This interactive installation invites you to reflect on personal experiences with migration, identity, and belonging. Using a thread that represents your immigration status, respond to each question by looping your thread around the answers that resonate with you. As more participants contribute, the wall transforms into a collective web of stories—revealing shared hopes, fears, and tensions around borders and freedom of movement.
Who decides who belongs—and who gets to move?
Pages in Between
This interactive publication invites you to journey through real stories of migration, identity, and resilience—told by individuals across a spectrum of U.S. immigration statuses.
Through pop-up elements, transparent overlays, personal maps, photos, and handwritten reflections, each page reveals the complexities and emotional weight of navigating the U.S. immigration system. The layered format mirrors the multifaceted nature of each person’s experience—what is seen, what is obscured, and what lies in between.
This is not just a book—it is a journal of lived realities, a space to pause, listen, and reflect on what it truly means to seek belonging in a system built on lines and labels.
Behind the Words
These interactive posters reveal the often-overlooked policies and identifiers that shape the lives of migrants in the U.S.—from the 100-mile border zone to DACA and the Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).
Each poster invites you to engage physically: pull a tab to reveal a real-world impact of these technical terms. While many remain unaware of how these systems function, they profoundly influence access, identity, and belonging for millions.
By making the invisible visible, these posters challenge us to confront the bureaucratic borders drawn within everyday life.
