Seguridad Boricua is an immersive installation comprised by intelligence and police files from the US and Puerto Rico about Juan Mari Brás, an advocate for Puerto Rican independence from the United States, and the first person to receive a Puerto Rican citizenship certificate from the Puerto Rico State Department. The data shows how Juan Mari Brás, who became a prominent lawyer and politician, as well as a foremost voice for the independence of Puerto Rico, was tracked and harrased by the US Governement for many decades.
The work employs a data visualization technique known as datagram, initiated 22 years ago when Merhi started intercepting the emails of the late and former President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez (Maximum Security, 1998- 2004).
Formally speaking, a datagram is a procedural pattern that uses a geometric algorithm to scatter and display information on 2D surfaces. When the data –printed on adhesive laser paper– is placed on the wall, an immersive data landscape emerges, allowing the viewers/participants to navigate the content in many different ways.