THE PROJECT
We are an artist-led project with social, environmental and political concerns based in and creating works in remote locations alongside rural and indigenous communities. We are exploring from new perspectives socio and political themes of these locations including local and indigenous narratives, history, knowledge, biology and environment and humans search for identity and their place in nature in our contemporary world.
Through this project we produce works of sculpture, installation, drawing, photography, music and sound along with presenting documentation of the live project taking place. La Wayaka Current have both an online platform and create public exhibitions of these works, while supporting and promoting messages of environmental conservation, climate change, indigenous culture and knowledge through exchange and discussion.
+ ABOUT THE ORGANISERS / LA WAYAKA CURRENT
OUR STORY
The project began on an isolated desert island in a Tropic location 8 N of the equator. Surrounded by sea with little else but sand, palm trees and coconuts it was both surreal and refreshing compared to the fast pace and materialistic world of today. Here in the indigenous, autonomous and protected region of Guna Yala, a remote place on the frontier between Colombia and Panama.
La Wayaka Current seeks to explore the development of creative projects in remote environments, while learning and collaborating with remote indigenous groups and presenting the project to the rest of the world. We currently have set up bases for this in Tropic 8 N, Arctic 78 N and Desert 23 S with Guna, Sámi and Atacameño indigenous community members. Since April 2016 we have been running Artist-in-Residence programs helping artists to receive support internationally including from the OCA Norway and Arts Council UK.
Artist-in-Residence Opportunities with La Wayaka Current
Artists are invited to apply to the Artist-in-Residence programs that have been developed at the different locations and to take part in future exhibitions. Artists apply with individual or group proposals that are considered by the La Wayaka Current team along with local community members. They provide the set up and opportunity to work in a nurturing setting in these remote and extreme environments with isolated communities.
Artists are responsible in seeking their own funding and covering their travel costs, we offer artists to come at a subsidised cost and give support in funding applications. We are a non-profit, arts organisation working in indigenous territories. The residency costs also support the project, the local communities we work with and local conservation projects.
LOCATIONS
NEXT LOCATION > ARCTIC circle, SAPMI / Finnmark, northern norway 78° N
Jul - Sep 2017 / Returning 2018 tbc
NEW LOCATION > DESERT, ATACAMA DESERT, CHILE 23° S
NOV - dec 2017 / returning 2018 tbc
Our bases are not fixed and we operate in a geographical zone or area at each of our bases connecting with different environments and communities within them.
Marina Camano
"La Wayaka Current was one of the best experiences I have been through. It made an impact on me in a lot of senses, not only in my writing but in the way I actually live." - Marina Camano (Bs. Aires, Argentina)
Our Mission...
We want to built connections and work together with communities living in remote areas. We also want to show artists the intimate worlds we have encountered that still exist. We feel indigenous cultures have invaluable knowledge and culture that is being forgotten and is thus promoted and supported through our work.
Artists that join us will learn about and live with different communities alongside precious natural environments that are currently being threatened by climate change worldwide. Artists will respond in different ways in order to create a network of collaboration, use art as a tool for research and expression. We do this in order to explore crucial and pressing contemporary issues.
Consequently we have been collaborating with the local people, schools and community in each place we visit.
Aside from our work with artists, through our project we have embarked on several environmental and social missions to make a larger impact in the areas we are working.
One of them, is that we have been developing a sustainable economy for isolated and indigenous communities. We believe this allows communities to make their own decisions and maintain their independence.
ISOLATION AND FERAL NATURAL WORLDS
In the locations we have found and expedition projects we have set up, we are reforging the connection to ourselves and to raw nature. La Wayaka Current invites artists to challenge their perspectives and build knowledge on the natural world that is being increasingly forgotten with climate change as one of the most crucial and pressing issues of our time.
Through our residency we hope to provide artists with a different outlook and a meaningful opportunity for professional and creative development in this unique context.
Latest Arctic Expedition, 9 Artists, 78°N
VISITING ARTISTS
During our first year over 60 artists join us from over 20 different countries including East, West, Northern and Southern Europe, North and South America. Our visitor artists have received funding and support from the Office of Contemporary Art Norway, Swedish Arts Council, Danish Kulturadet and Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture in order to join us. During this time we have worked not only with artists but anthropologists, scientists, conservationists, musicians, journalists, teachers, film makers and writers.