Amazonia—A gestural Drawing Made of Soil and Ashes

PERFORMED AT JUDSON MEMORIAL CHURCH, 2019

PERFOAMED AT OPENING OF UPROOT, AN ISCP EXHIBTION, 2019

One of the definitions of "Unground" is "not reduced to powder or small fragments." My performance, entitled Amazonia, was created for the 13th Anarko Lab Performance Festival at Judson Memorial Church last September and explores my desire for the indigenous cultures of my home country, Brazil, to remain intact and preserve their land, culture, and heritage despite current governmental policies. Two years ago, I visited the Indigenous Village of Tuyuca in the Amazon and filmed the Yuruparí Rite - a dance that celebrates the ripening of different tree fruit species, involving sacred flutes and trumpets - which I used in the performance.

This year's festival was dedicated to issues threatening many indigenous communities, such as governmental land appropriation for agro-business, displacement, genocide, and the destruction of the Amazon forest. As a result, all funds raised during the event are being sent to the Awaetes (a-va-e-té) tribe in Altamira, Belém do Pará who was one of the 11 ethnic groups directly impacted by the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant in 2011. The Awaetes are currently divided into two villages, Itaaka and Kwatinema, and are striving to protect their culture and language by developing a prototype for their self-defense. Education is a key tool for them to accomplish this, and they have been successful in replacing Catholic-focused education at local schools by adopting their own languages for instruction. It is both ethical and urgent to support these communities who are fighting to preserve their heritage.