Shi Yong and Seth Joseph Augustine 's collaborative project, Borders Within, was a social experiment. By being blindfolded and introduced into a completely foreign environment Seth instantly became “The Outsider.” Seth was a bewildered, Caucasian American unable to speak the language, and unfamiliar with the work being done. At the same time, the Chinese workers became “The Sethnsiders.” Our meeting was a tense, awkward, and curious moment, and it became apparent that the results of this experiment were open-ended—anything could happen. Shi Yong and Seth framed our project in this way in order to discover where the internal boundaries were drawn within people. Where could we find common ground? Over the course of the week, living and working side-by-side with the Chinese workers, Seth understood a tiny bit of their life experiences. And through our limited communication, they came to know a small fraction of who Seth was. However, a vast chasm of unknown still existed, and we realized that we could never in fact know very much about one another. Ultimately, my juxtaposition within this environment served to highlight the Chinese workers’ daily life, and became a bridge into their concerns, and their struggles. (Text by Seth Augustine)
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