Transformaciónes intends to put a set of new tools, both technically an conceptually, into the hands of the economically impoverished but nevertheless enterprising women and youth from the indigenous community of Zegache, state of Oaxaca (Mexico) as well as other Oaxacans. It is a local initiative but a potentially global example of how to encourage artistic creation and the protection of cultural identities and cultural heritage in regions throughout the world.
<-- SHORTCUT: 1st production phase successfully concluded in November 2009 -->
The state of Oaxaca, Mexico, is a region rich in historical and cultural sites, but one in which large groups of the indigenous population live in poverty or even extreme poverty. Tourism is the principal Oaxacan industry and aside from the usual food and lodging incomes, it provides a vibrant market for a wide variety of artisanal products, from basic functional objects to purely artistic expressions.
In past years the small village of Zegache has reclaimed its’ self-esteem through community workshops while restoring the village church of Santa Anna. The inhabitants are already accustomed to the idea of learning new artisanal and manual skills as a means of social empowerment. By adding technology and media to the vivid mould of traditional handicraft, this project hopes to further the means of sustainable economic support for the community. This is a region were profitable arts and cultural industries can work as a catalyst for economic growth and regeneration.
Education/training, the production and distribution of contemporary artisanal objects are the corner-stones of this project that aims to generate work for community driven workshops through the preservation and promotion of the cultural heritage and artisanal traditions of the area.
Traditional crafts and manual skills can be rendered renewed relevance as well as much needed commercial potential for the community when combined with contemporary materials such as media and electronics.
PROJECT IDEA
TRANSFORMACIÓNES will develop “devotional objects” in the community of Zegache as well as in the residential city of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. An altar piece and smaller display cases will be made out of mixed media – both in the traditional sense: wood craft, vitrage, drawings, figurines, mosaics – as well as in the more contemporary usage of digital media and electronics. Entirely new to the mix is to add moving images through embedded screens (f.ex: behind one-way-mirrors) as well as the usage of sensors to trigger the starting, the light level and other behaviour of the imagery.
One part of the project will be to produce an altar piece, a “retablo” depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe, based on the interactive video work by Performing Pictures, as well as traditional wood crafts by the community workshops of Zegache. The woodwork of the piece will most likely be a replica of an existing altar piece in the church in Zegache. The piece will be placed permanently in one of the side rooms of the church, but could also “travel” to other churches or museums for exhibition.
The second, parallel part of the project, is to create a number of smaller versions of the devotional artefacts, empowered by the exposure made in churches, which we hope will find their way into the homes of ordinary people, art collectors, museum, hotels and galleries – filling the role of household shrines or as storytelling objects for the more secular consumer. (Similar to the mirrors produced and sold through the workshops).
The third part of the project is an ongoing series of practical workshops in electronics for the community workshop artisans. The methodology will be to add new-media elements as additional layering to traditional media. Traditional crafts and manual skills can be rendered renewed relevance as well as much needed commercial potential for the community, when combined with contemporary materials such as media and electronics.
The project has a strong beneficial social impact of developing new artefacts, reconceptualising them into products, finding new markets, learning new things. One clear spin-off is that the crafts and the practical skill-sets would extend into certain aspects of microelectronics, a skill that in turn could render new types of assignments for the workshops.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the project are:
- to create well documented long-term collaborations and creations in contemporary practices merging expertise in media technology and electronics with traditional artisanal traditions
- to create a new altarpiece for the church in Zegache, thus helping to restore and reinterpret its historical, ecological and cultural heritage
- to create a number of “interactive nichos” in the Community Workshops as crucial contributions towards making the entire project self-sustaining as soon as possible.
- to create local jobs in the process; and to integrate the community in all aspects of the work.
- to provide professional development and collaboration opportunities in the field of contemporary media-/design artefacts for Mexican artisans
- to disseminate knowledge, media and technologies following open source and open hardware principles, ensuring broad influence and take-up of projects’ results before and after the project end date.
- to explore new public contexts for presentation of interactive responsive/real-time processed video works
Following this path Santa Ana Zegache can become a desired and deserving destination for international travellers, representing and promoting Oaxacan culture worldwide.
