*Vincent Goudreau is current Artist in Residence at Grand Central Art Center, arriving in October and here until December.
Recordings of an Immigrant is a multi-disciplinary project compiled from a collection of audio recorded memoirs, a book, video, limited edition prints and a future website. It is the result of a seven-year friendship between Vincent Goudreau and his property owner’s landscaper, Juan Aquino, who arrived to the US in the trunk of a car, delivered by coyotaje to a drop-house in Fullerton, CA.
The boundaries of Juan’s life and what they encompass reads more like an ancient epic of morality rather than a modern day story of immigration, poverty, violence and corruption. Yet this is a contemporary narrative amidst the U.S. immigration overhaul that also confronts taboo issues and even abstractly explores how we as people judge one another.
This cinematic tale contains unpredictable twists and turns. From inspirational to the political, his story then moves into the realm fit for any sports enthusiasts. His perfect golf swing, which was indirectly taught to him by his father in the sugar cane fields of Guatemala, now has purpose.
Ultimately Juan’s narrative embodies the unthinkable when he is accused of a crime. However, his perseverance and positive attitude towards humanity keeps his and the audience’s dream alive – to one day see him play on the PGA Champions Tour.
“When you learn your golf swing with a machete, you never look up”
– Juan Aquino
On November 1, 1982, Juan Aquino witnessed his father’s murder. His father was on his way to present his case to the Supreme Court in Guatemala, fighting for the union worker’s rights and working to close an industrial plant, which was polluting the town’s river. It was also Juan’s 14th birthday.
The following is an AUDIO EXCERPT from chapter 5, part 2, titled Family.
Revenge
http://vimeo.com/78373776
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Additional posted audio:
Sacrifice, from Chapter 2, titled Mexico:
https://grandcentralartcenter.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/sacrifice-2nd-audio-clip-from-gcac-artist-in-residence-vincent-goudreau/
Legal, Chapter 3, titled South Central:
https://grandcentralartcenter.wordpress.com/2013/11/26/legal-3rd-audio-clip-from-recordings-of-an-immigrant-gcac-artist-in-residence-vincent-goudreau/
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Grand Central Art Center 
Can’t wait till you get this published.
[…] on his fourteenth birthday. If you have a minute (and a tissue) listen to this firsthand account, HERE IS THE AUDIO LINK. Since our structure could barely stand anymore creative genius, it once again poured into the […]
[…] Read more about Vincent Goudreau’s project online at: https://grandcentralartcenter.wordpress.com/2013/11/01/november-1-1982-gcac-artist-in-residence-vince… […]
[…] Read more about Vincent Goudreau’s project online at: https://grandcentralartcenter.wordpress.com/2013/11/01/november-1-1982-gcac-artist-in-residence-vince… […]
[…] Read more about Vincent Goudreau’s project online at: https://grandcentralartcenter.wordpress.com/2013/11/01/november-1-1982-gcac-artist-in-residence-vince… […]
[…] The tour included: visits to the galleries and studios; a chance to talk with Artists in Residence Vincent Goudreau and Amy Sanchez (Cog•nate Collective); and a look at the upstairs apartment spaces. We would like […]
[…] Goudreau was very active during his last weeks in residence at GCAC in mid-December. As part of his Recordings of an Immigrant project, we decided to fly Juan Aquino out from the island of Maui to join in him in residence. […]
[…] step with this project being a meditation on memory, California State University Fullerton’s Grand Central Art Center hosted a sort of homecoming this past December for Aquino. While Vincent Goudreau was the […]
[…] Goudreau (Maui, Hawaii – Fall 2013) was in residence to work on his project Recordings of an Immigrant. Juan Aquino, the immigrant for which the project is based, actually had a connection to the […]
[…] narrative, which inspired a multidisciplinary project including a book compiled from transcribed audio recordings. This is a survival story of Juan Aquino’s journey from the genocide of Guatemala to the […]