Refracted Passage is a culinary school, restaurant, public events space and farmers market that occupies a defunct railway bridge spanning the Rio Grande River between El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Refracted Passage is a civic project for both Ciudad Juarez and El Paso that brings together Americans and Mexicans from disparate backgrounds to cultivate community across borders through education and a celebration of food, local agriculture, nutrition, and healthy living.

Whereas in our modern understanding of Ciudad Juarez and El Paso we see a stark contrast in socio-economic conditions and public safety, in reality the bridge links two nations and two cities that in many ways share a common cultural history and are indelibly linked. Refracted Passage occupies a major and historic border crossing between the US and Mexico, and entrances at both ends serve as access points.

This design explores the spaces that divide bodies, considering the emotional and metaphysical value of a dividing line as well as its physical manifestations. The design acknowledges the wider implications of national and cultural borders and in so doing, traces, multiplies, vibrates and reflects a line of intersection allowing it to become the catalyst for the obfuscation of such boundaries. The intention behind these methods of manipulation is to create a feeling of lines that are present everywhere and nowhere—a division indistinguishable among divisions.

Faculty for the project: Kevin Estrada & Cary Ng

Whereas in our modern understanding of Ciudad Juarez and El Paso we see a stark contrast in socio-economic conditions and public safety, in reality the bridge links two nations and two cities that in many ways share a common cultural history and are indelibly linked. Refracted Passage occupies a major and historic border crossing between the US and Mexico, and entrances at both ends serve as access points.
This design explores the spaces that divide bodies, considering the emotional and metaphysical value of a dividing line as well as its physical manifestations. The design acknowledges the wider implications of national and cultural borders and in so doing, traces, multiplies, vibrates and reflects a line of intersection allowing it to become the catalyst for the obfuscation of such boundaries. The intention behind these methods of manipulation is to create a feeling of lines that are present everywhere and nowhere—a division indistinguishable among divisions.

Faculty for the project: Kevin Estrada & Cary Ng