Take on Borders

PBS recently launched 'P.O.V.'s Borders' a web site showcasing commissioned and contributed materials dealing with border issues, both literal and figurative. The first installment of the series runs through mid-December, and its focus is migration. One commissioned work by Alex Rivera, 'Visible Border,' consists of footage from a surveillance x-ray used to prevent the smuggling of goods and bodies at border crossings. In the 'Stories' section, three teenagers from Elsa, Texas, a town near the U.S.-Mexico border, turn the camera on themselves as they embark on life away from home. These are 'Real World' stories for a teen audience, with a different take on 'real.'