February 20, 2018
For the past 6 months I’ve revisited a project I left behind many years ago: Agua the Carnaval. I’ve revisited the project in a new context and somehow resulted on my first solo show. When I created the original concepts of Agua the Carnaval in 2008 my goal was to communicate what it meant to be Panamanian. I had chosen to do so by creating a product for consumption. The project expanded, as it goes beyond representing what it means to be Panamanian but to investigate how we use this precious resource to assure our cultural identity.
The show opened at Casasola in Panama City, on Nov. 22nd of 2017 and will be in exhibit until June of this year. It shares my research process and invites audiences to be part of the work by opening the receivetheir reflections and insights. The second part of the show an artistic reflection taking the form of installation and video.
One of the materials that will be used in this reflection is glass. I found the work of Bert Haanstra, a dutch filmmaker that has won an academy award for his short film Glas. As I see this short that compares the process of hand made vs. machine made. Glass is shown in all its versatility of transformation. I’ve understood the process of creating with glass as a dance. If you look at the film, the material dances, according to the movement of the artisans or of the machine that is producing it. Dance is also part of Agua de Carnaval.
I’ve come to realize that just as I’ve taken water for granted I do the same with glass. Glass is everywhere and I use it everyday: from the glass where I drink my water to the my i-phone and that without it I’m disconnected from the world. Water and glass are key components of contemporary life and culture. I see a strong parallel and I would dare to say that right now they are critical elements of our personal and collective identities and of our collective evolution. It’s funny how much we use something, or see someone everyday and we don’t stop and take the time to learn about who they are and what they mean to us.
To Glass and to Water!