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♪

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For me the most fond memory is always about mischief.

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You had to go away from the norm.

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So that’s where it’s fun.
Because if it’s normal, it’s not fun.

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♪

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["Alejandro Almanza Pereda's Obstacle Course"]

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I’m from Mexico City

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Mexico City is really quick,
but it’s not like New York.

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As a general rule for going to New York City,

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if you don’t have any contacts,
the first year is tough.

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[Obstacle #1:
Getting started in New York City...]

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[Alejandro's desk]

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When I moved to New York City after undergraduate,

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I was planning to work really hard and get some money.

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I have a good job as an art handler.

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I had an art band.

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And we were doing great.

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We’d be making concerts, having a lot of fun.

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I was doing art.

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I was living in a great place with great roommates--

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amazing friends.

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It was my time of life.

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But I realized that after this,
everything is going to go downhill.

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So I went back to Mexico City.

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After four years in Mexico,
I really wanted to go back to New York City.

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But of course I don’t have a visa for that.

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And I thought oh, well I should just apply for school.

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Hunter is just like a long term dress rehearsal.

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When I was coming back I thought oh, New York,

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[snaps fingers]
easy, you know.

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It will be fun.
I know the city, I’ll get my old job.

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It’s going to be OK.

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But it didn’t happen that way.

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[Obstacle #2]

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[Because he can't afford an apartment...]

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[Alejandro couch surfs for the semester.]

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My adventure started in Greenpoint
at Rick’s and Birgit’s for 2 months.

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It was great.

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Then I moved to Miriam’s and Shawn's
for two weeks, in Bushwick.

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Then I went to Madrid for a week.

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I came back,

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stayed at Claudia’s sofa for some days.

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Then I got this residency at The Den
and I stayed for a week there

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at Mckendree’s Project in Clinton Hill.

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After that, I stayed like two days in DUMBO--

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it was a friend’s of a friend’s of a friend’s.

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Then went back to Miriam’s and Shawn.

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Moved 3 blocks to Claudia’s sofa,

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and then I moved to my friend’s, Bernardo,
for a week and a half...

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oh, I think so...less than that.

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Back to Miriam’s and Shawn,

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and then I’m here again at Claudia’s.

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Now I am not staying in the sofa,
I’m staying in the bed.

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(Claudia's out of town)

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And from here, right now,
we’re going to go to Erik’s and Melissa,

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and I’m going to stay there for three days.

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I’m going to take care of their plants.

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And after that, I don’t know.

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I might ask my friend Alberto for shelter, you know.

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I spent like $600 on rent.

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That seems pretty incredible.

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So instead of paying rent, I make a big party.

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And a party should be taken seriously.

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Do it with all your might.

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I have been quite lucky to survive this semester.

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I kind of like stressful situations.

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[sound of glass breaking]

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[Obstacle #3]

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[The night before Alejandro's first crit...]

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[He accidentally knocks over some drywall...]

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[Half of his sculptures break.]

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--Oops.

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It feels like a crime scene, no?
Like, yeah, this feels weird, yeah.

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I thought that you were going to think I went crazy
and I started kicking everything.

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[Laughs]

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[Jess Wheaton--studio mate]
Well admittedly that did cross my mind.

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That you just got frustrated with your like tiny cube.

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[Both laugh]

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[Alejandro showed what survived at his crit...]

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[Then took the sculptures apart]

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I love light.

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I use the light bulb,
the fragility of it.

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They’re delicate.

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But if you apply pressure on them lengthwise,
they are super tough.

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I kind of like that this stick that emits light
is holding something,

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like a structure.

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This, a living thing--

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this current is active.

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Alright.

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[Running out of money...]

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[Alejandro improvises.]

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[He sells back some materials.]

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[Refund: $82.41]

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[Obstacle 4]

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[Hunter decides to move the MFA studios
to a smaller building...]

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[with more students.]

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[Alejandro creates an artwork in response...]

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[with fellow grad students.]

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The sadness about what’s happening to this building,

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it has been like 10 years of fight.

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[Irvin Morazan, third year grad student]
I will be the last class to graduate from this building

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before it gets torn down.

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[Abelardo Cruz Santiago, first year grad student]
Every student that’s gone through here
has had like a good space,

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and now like that’s gonna be taken away.

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They offer the best studios,
while still having really good faculty too.

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[Almanza Pereda]
Look at this room, it’s pretty amazing.

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And it’s a shame because
the 5th floor is half empty,

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the 6th floor is half empty.

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I really like the buildings--
like gritty and ugly.

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It has something, you know?

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I never done a piece with text.

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So it was really hard for me.
It’s like, what should I say?

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Like, “Yeah, I want my money back.”

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I was just writing words and words,

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and I start thinking about what’s happening--

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we’re just, like, being displaced.

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[Man, off screen]
When I saw the sign I was just like,
wow, 21st century graffiti.

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[Another man, off screen]
I think it’s getting the point across
that we’re unhappy about this move.

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[Almanza Pereda]
I have to do it in my own language.

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When you have a harsh path,
you improvise, you learn, no?

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I think it’s healthy to stand up when there’s something affecting you and your community.

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Hunter is my community.

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It’s not tequila, it’s a mescal.

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It’s a mescal that some friends are selling in Mexico City.

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It’s pretty delicious.

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Cheers!