Exhibitions
Permanent exhibition in the public space
Centro Cultural Metropolitano , Ecuador
Palabras del Amazonas
During her Artistic Residency in the Ecuadorian Amazon, Clémence Vazard sought to initiate a dialogue between the human and non-human inhabitants of the region using natural dyeing techniques.
The rights of nature have been enshrined in the Ecuadorian Constitution since 2008.
This led her to ask: if the forest has a voice, what language would it speak, and how could we engage in a conversation with it?
The resulting artistic project took the form of a participatory and endemic work. Over 300 people contributed to its creation through workshops on plant-based dyeing using flowers from the region, employing a technique known as « eco-prints. »
Clémence Vazard used only local natural resources, such as fabric, flowers, and mordants. She also experimented with other dyeing techniques, utilizing volcanic ash from Sangay, water from the Upano River, colca leaves from the sacred Teligote hill in Salasaca, and other endemic plants.
She then invited local residents to embroider the names of the flowers they live alongside into the artwork. Naming these flowers is a way of acknowledging their existence and fostering a sense of community among the living beings in the area. The embroidered names include a non-hierarchical mix of scientific names, common names in Spanish, and indigenous names in the Shuar and Kichwa languages spoken in this part of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
The final result is a monumental 20-meter-long textile artwork, now permanently displayed in the hall of the Macas Terminal.
The project created over 10 weeks was documented in a publication edited by Sub Tech Una Editorial with the support of Cuenca French Alliance