WAK`A
Curatorial Project 2021-2023
Neo-extravism, Sacredness & Deep Listening
Wak’a is a sacred body / territory that concentrates natural energy. It manifests itself in the form of mountains, lakes, rocks, etc. They are elements of energy regulation that accumulate cosmic, telluric, feminine and masculine energies. Through these wak’as the amautas, laramas, yatiris, (doctors and wise men) spiritually guide their community to communicate with Pacha (Space-time, as an inseparable unit).
The Wak’as in our current world would become nodes of connection, they are respected, and can mark the boundary between the territory of the members of the communities and the territory of the Wak’as, a space where wild fauna and flora live.


Extractivism- neo-extractivism
The human footprint caused by extractivism in Bolivia, focusing on the history and present of the Cerro Rico de Potosí silver mine and the present and future of the largest lithium salt deposit on the planet, located in the Salar de Thunupa.
The actions and consequences of silver mining have radically reshaped the landscape and life in the area during the last five centuries. At present, the desert territory Salar de Thunupa does not suffer the impact of large-scale mining, however, the national and international interest in the exploitation will have an impact on the following decades.
COMPIIINDIVM SONANDES
Bolivia YIIIAR Journey


Λιθίον
Sacredness
The silver and lithium deposits are preceded by narratives related to the Wak`as. The communities consider these sites sacred spaces provided with vital energy, capable of punishing those who desecrate their integrity. The relationship between sacred territory, punishment and suffering present a constant in the narrative of local community members. This complex way to understanding about looting and desecration explains without surprise the bitter life of the miners and warns about a punishment for human and non-human life that inhabits there. Paradoxically, the wak’as and their resources guarantee the management of technology and telecommunications that governs the current lifestyle of humanity.


















EXO|ENDO
It is an immersive installation, 3D audio and virtual reality experience.
A collaboration between scientists, miners, anthropologists, historians, engineers and artists from Bolivia and Germany.
The first draft proposes a diptych approach between both territories and the impact of the human footprint on the soundscape, with emphasis on the voice of the Andean worldview and its local communities.
Presented in Zentrum für immersive Medienkunst, Musik und Technologie. October 2021. Leipzig-Deutschland.
Presented in Sonic Matter. December 2021. Zurich-Switzerland.






Researchers and communities



















Documentaries and audiovisual essays produced during the communal dialogue from December 2020 to December 2021
Lluvia y recuerdos de la mina en Pulacayo
Caracoles Silver Mine Cerro Rico
Las cuevas de Portland en Pulacayo
Amuki IV. Llanque 2021
Muro de Piedras
Relato Wak´a