Gina Goico presents her collaborative performance "Pelliza: Tejiendo Narrativas/Weaving Narratives" at the the Bronx's 100th anniversary event "Boogie on the Boulevard" hosted by the Bronx Museum of Art in New York City.

Pellizas are traditional hand woven rag rugs from the Dominican Republic. The history of these rag rugs is difficult to trace, but they have certainly been around for a long time. The original Pelliza rugs were made in the past with remnants of clothes and fabric and woven on top of plastic sacks. You would find Pellizas decorating the interior of carros públicos (shared taxis), beneath horse saddles, or in the interior of rural houses. About 10 years ago, the Pelliza became popular in the city. The materials changed and the designs became more complex to fit a demand. An activity that before was merely performed by women in the community for additional income became an entire family's business. Pellizas now decorate penthouses in the city, government offices, and are even used for decoration at weddings and parties.

The performance “Pelliza” had no other pretension than simply sharing this technique and weaving alongside other women while sharing stories. By the end the performance, which was aimed exclusively at Latinas, it
included children, women, and men from different parts of the world that didn't identify as Latino. It was performed during "Boogie on the Boulevard" on August 2nd, 9th, and16th in the Bronx, NY.

View more images and read about the last day of Pelliza performance on Gina Goico's blog. Watch a video of the project edited by Gina Goico on YouTube here.

"Boogie on the Boulevard" was presented by the Bronx Museum of the Arts in New York City.  It took place on Grand Concourse between 165th and 167th Streets in the Bronx which were shut down to traffic for three Sundays in celebration of the Bronx borough's 100th anniversary. The event featured free music, activities and programs hosted by artists and art/cultural, civic, and health organizations. View the full list of participants here.

Gina Goico is an multidisciplinary Dominican artist and activist currently based in New York. Her work deals with Dominican/Latino identity, culture and the politics behind being perceived as the Other in the United States. Read more about Gina Gioco's project #ATABEY on EAS here.