The impetus for this series was a reflection on some of the theoretical perspectives around the notions
of ‘history’ and ‘the construction of subjectivity’ as it differs among various cultures. First and Third,
the first project in this series, grew out of my interest in narrative as a means of negotiating ideological
differences between immigrant expectations and the contradictory messages of the American Dream
with its promises of equality, personal freedom and so on.

In 1987 I was invited to participate in the Whitney Biennial with a video installation. The sites offered
were the 4 th floor stairwell or bathroom, not the main exhibition space. The stories that comprise first and
third were drawn from conversations with people from many different ethnicities to underscore the lack
of representation of ‘non-white, and ‘non-male’ persons (those most associated with immigrant status)
within the Whitney Biennale. By trompe l’oeiling the projector housing to match the limestone walls of
the stairwell, making use of the diffuse nature of video projection, and adding a 30 second pause between
each story – it seemed as though the walls of the Whitney were suddenly speaking. In this way, the work
functioned as a form of agit prop.