A Las Orillias Del Rio (At The Banks of the River)
Video of artist conducting a "Washing" performance on the banks of the Atoyac River in Oaxaca Mexico, October 2012.
The project consisted of the artist interviewing Atoyac River residents about their relationship to the polluted river. Their statements were then embroidered on activated charcoal cloth sewn in the form traditional Mexican shirts (huipils). The embroidered huipils were then taken to the riverbanks to recreate the lost action of washing, which disappeared as water pollution increased. This purpose of this performance was twofold: 1) An attempt to reunite the community and the river with a lost tradition of washing while simultaneously 'washing' the river with the activated charcoal.
2) An attempt to communicate the river community's statements to the river by immersing them in the current, as well as communicate the river community's statements to the larger community who witnessed the performance from a pedestrian bridge above.
*Footage shot and edited by Sarah Catherine Firth @ http://www.sarahthefirth.com and Jason Leong