Conversation with Christine Ulke, Pasadena and San Diego - Los Angeles, 2002

The conversation begins in a parking garage in Pasadena, where Christine Ulke presents a public work she created in collaboration with Linda Pollack and Claudia Reisenberger. This work engages with themes relating to the city’s urban history and contemporary issues of surveillance. Ulke addresses the violent injustices experienced by Indigenous communities during urban development and argues that understanding urban dynamics requires examining the legitimization of institutional authority.

Transitioning to her current work, Ulke shares her engagement in a project related to border activism and art, specifically an event called Border Hack: “It’s an activist camp to protest against the militarization of the U.S.-Mexican border.” In this context, art and performance function as forms of resistance. Ulke mentions the camp’s connections to similar movements in Europe, emphasizing the need for international solidarity in addressing border issues.

Ulke raises critical questions about the intersection of feminist discourse with globalization and the implications of defining feminism in various contexts. She considers the challenges faced by women laborers who are at risk of violence when attempting to organize for better conditions. She also reflects on whether feminist discourse has been assimilated into larger society: “I think there are certain practices and strategies that historically have been named feminist, like collaborations against the mass narrative, the hierarchical and patriarchal. But I think that a lot of these practices are now more common. So I don't know if they’re still feminist or if what used to be feminist has become a broader practice.” Ulke continues, “You can do feminist projects, but not just call them that… you take it as a strategy, but then it doesn’t have to be gender-specific.”

Ulke expresses concerns about how some feminist projects have failed to create lasting change or expand to new communities, partly due to an overemphasis on individualism within collective efforts. Still, she believes the feminist position is valid and that the core principles of collaboration and resistance against patriarchal structures remain relevant: “I think it would be interesting to have an alternative network, like a community of feminists supporting each other—that’s the way to go.”