The iii researches informality—economic activities and relationships that operate outside legally recognized institutions.
We examine the tensions and connections between formal and informal economic spheres through research fellows from universities in Colombia and the US..
Our Focus
Consider grassroots innovations and systemic gaps that drive people to create new survival methods
We adapted traditional street vendor carts into mobile platforms for public dialogue and interventions, working with local cart-builders.
Mobile Memories
We logged a day of informal vending activity in a Bogotá market and turned it into a musical score for the city's Philharmonic Orchestra to perform in the same market.
An Informal Symphony
A performance using a chaza (vendor's display system) where people negotiate the worth of Colombia by buying candle-shaped maps and sharing stories, dreams, or memories.
How Much Will You Give for Columbia?
Collaborating with vendors who sell legal rights books outside courthouses, we recite Colombian Constitution articles about democracy and equality. We're also working with minority groups to create new constitutional rights.
Redeclaration of Rights
Store of Confisgated Goods
Since informal vendors lack legal protections, they face theft and confiscation. We work with artists and vendors to document and archive memories of lost goods through conversations and drawings.