Usumacinta. 2019. Five synchronized video channels and thirteen sound channels, computer playback system.
(As shown in Laboratorio Arte Alameda)
The work shows the video and sound recorded by 5 submersible cameras as they are carried down the Usumacinta river in Mexico attached to a snake-like artefact. The work collaborates with the forces, movement and temporalities of the river. The installation consists of 5 synchronized channels of video, which are installed in monitors to the gallery floor looking up, along with nine speakers. Together, they provide an immersive experience with alternating velocities that move between turbulent and calm waters.
In an effort to decolonize time by challenging our notions of universal and abstract time, this work enquiries on how time is experienced from inside —and in collaboration— with the river.
While in great danger, the Usumacinta is known as the only living river in Mexico as it does not bear industrial discharges. It is considered to be a living system of exchanges and movements.
