Condemned by the European Union, La Salada is the biggest informal fair in Latin America. Communities of immigrants from Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay and inland Argentina live and work together in a poor marginal suburb on the banks of the Riachuelo, over the ruins of the communal spas that have been closed down. Most of their products come from clandestine workshops that manufacture fake-brand clothing. However, the fair is not just about trading, people come here to celebrate, protest, hold religious ceremonies and organise assemblies: it is a strategic field where the identity of immigrants and workers is affirmed. Far from having any legal status, La Salada establishes its own laws and manages to keep the State at bay.
The team in Buenos Aires recorded these urban phenomena during several trips and rallies throughout 2007. The documentation gathered in the video seeks to investigate the unfolding synchronies resulting from the twice-weekly fair, held at varying times, mostly in the early morning. A series of maps combines the voices of those involved (traders, political leaders and visitors) which are complemented by historic documents, statistics, and all-pervasive media coverage. The occasional para-architecture of the fair can only be represented through its contradictory and plural complexity.