A public art project by Puerto Rican artist Yanira Castro aims to undo the disconnection that happens as a result of colonization, and to think collectively about the future we, as a community, want to conjure.

The project, titled Exorcism = Liberation, will be stewarded by the A.P.E. Gallery in Northampton starting this month in partnership with the UMass Fine Arts Center. Simultaneous activations will happen in New York City and Chicago over the next couple months.

The project incorporates sociopolitical themes and various campaign materials with three different slogans directing people to audio scores via QR codes. The scores consist of a short set of instructions, such as “make a fist” or “open your hands,” asking the listener to reflect on questions that explore collective memories of homeland, of community, and of climate disaster, Castro said.

“What I really wanted to do with these scores, and what I’ve wanted to do when I’ve activated things like this during other elections, is to be more expansive in how we’re coming together … and how we’re recognizing that while sometimes we might feel very isolated, the actual truth is we’re very connected,” Castro said in a video call last week.

“We may not feel that all the time and we may not always be encouraged to think about it that way, by politicians or corporations or whatever, but the truth of the matter is our decisions are affecting one another, deeply.

“Whether things go a community’s way or not inside of the election, we don’t lose one another, and we don’t lose the work that we’re engaged in together. That still continues, that still persists. Questions of land, questions of self-determination, questions of climate and how we want to prepare for one another, those will continue, and in fact might be more necessary.”

The project will also include community meals and public conversations happening at the UMass Fine Arts Center and at the Holyoke Public Library, among other events, ahead of the November elections.

A banner on the rear garage door of A.P.E. will display the slogan “I came here to weep.” The slogans will also be featured in ads that will run on PVTA buses from Sept. 15 to Oct. 1.

“I have this dream that somebody will be listening to it and maybe they have their hands open on their lap, because that’s the score they’re listening to,” Castro said. “And they’ll notice someone all the way down at the end of the bus also has their hands out on their lap … and just for a moment you’re connected to this person and thinking about your collective memories of land, your formative memories of how you think about dirt and how you think about the place that maybe you came from.”

Exorcism = Liberation was inspired by Hurricane Maria, Castro said, which is still affecting Puerto Rico in the form of widespread power outages. And while the effects of climate change are already being felt in places like Puerto Rico, “climate disaster is coming for all of us,” she said.

Kathy Couch, co-director at A.P.E. Gallery, said the questions in the audio scores bring up questions including sovereignty over one’s personhood and one’s land — which feel particularly important ahead of this election.

“[What is your first memory of dirt?] asks you, when do you first remember encountering dirt, where was that? Then the audio evolves and all of a sudden you’re starting to consider who is allowed to be on that land or how is that land designated, or how did you get there,” Couch said. “And all of a sudden we’re starting to think about these questions around borders, about who can cross borders, about who’s allowed to claim land or decide what happens to the land and all of these things just starting from this very personal experience, intimate memories of yourself.

“We felt like this is a really beautiful contrast to a lot of the other publicity and political messaging that’s happening during the election season,” she said.

Steph Reyes, an artist living in western Mass. who voiced one of the three audio scores, said the project has personal meaning for her.

“My family is still in Puerto Rico, and I see the challenges they are going through, the government’s inefficiency, and how colonialism continues to harm our community,” Reyes said in an email last week. “I also get to experience what it is like, how it feels, and the challenges we face as Puerto Ricans living in the U.S. This project talks about our past, present, and future. My score, ‘I came here to weep’, was an invitation for me to give life and a voice to my community but also to other historically oppressed communities in the U.S. and worldwide. It was a big responsibility to bring the words to life, but I could not be more grateful to Yanira and the team for allowing me to be part of such an impactful piece.”

When asked why Castro wanted A.P.E. to steward the project, as opposed to a gallery in Brooklyn where she resides or in Chicago where the project is also being activated, she said “it is both because of a lot of love and many, many years of connection.”

Castro left Puerto Rico to study at Amherst College, where she was lonely without her Puerto Rican family, she said. At the time, she didn’t know that nearby Holyoke had such a strong Puerto Rican community. But she’s come back to the area countless times in the years since her days at Amherst College and has gotten to know Holyoke and many of the people there.

While at Amherst, she also met fellow student Kathy Couch, and the two have been collaborating on projects ever since.

When Castro decided to take Exorcism = Liberation out of the theater — it was originally made for theater and Castro has performed it at The Chocolate Factory in Brooklyn and in theaters in San Francisco — she thought of greater Holyoke as the place where the public art project should be based, both because of its deep Puerto Rican roots and her deep connection to the area.

“[Kathy Couch] is just someone that always struck me as an abundance of care and kindness and intelligence in how she thinks about space and stewarding space,” Castro said.

“When this project came up and I was thinking about who might be willing to be a steward of the project, having worked with Kathy for so long and knowing her care and her politics and the way she thinks about community, I just knew she was the right person. And thankfully she said yes.”

Reyes said she hopes the project can create a space to heal, and to encourage people to take action and vote on November 5th, or start a dialogue with family members and friends.

“I just hope that people will at least start a dialogue with themselves,” Reyes said. “This election will be an unprecedented one that, depending on the outcome, could have serious repercussions for historically oppressed and uninvested communities. I hope that with Exorcism = Liberation, people embark on a journey to reflect, heal, and help thread the future, a future where every human being has the resources to thrive in life.”

For a full list of events and to learn more about the project, visit https://exorcism-liberation.net/.

Elise Linscott is a freelance writer living in Northampton. She can be reached at elise@eliselinscott.com.