Suspiros

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Suspiros (Sighs) is an action that allowed children from the school of Zapotalito to make a call to the lagoon of the village. To do so, they sounded their clay ocarinas from a boat. As an answer, an aquatic installation -made of other ocarinas – sounded as the waves came through it, giving a voice to the water. This ephemeral dialogue is an invitation to listen to the lagoon and the ecological problems it faces.

The short video is the result of a workshop during various weeks, in which the pupils were introduced to listening, to drawing, to environmental issues and the work with clay, allowing them to build their own ocarina. This project is the result of a residency at Fundación Casa Wabi in March-April 2022.

With Aldo, Ángel, Ángel Adolfo, Araceli, Axel, Cristal, Emanuel, Jhony, Julian, Marisol, Teresita, Yahel, Zuritzy, the teacher Viviana Gil Juárez y and Edmanuel Ambrosio principal from Melchor Ocampo de Zapotalito elementary school.

Community Project Manager: Juan Pino Poliakoff
Clay technical advice: Maestro Natanael Ramirez
Cameras: Emanuel Ruiz Triste, Monica Naranjo U. and Félix Blume
Drone operator: Emanuel Ruiz Triste
Sound recording: Mio Yamato and Félix Blume
Driver: Edwin Gildardo Carmona Torres
Boat drivers: Vicente, Anderson and Misael
Raft designed with the help of Michel Charlot

Thanks to
The children of Zapotalito elementary school and all the inhabitants, the people involved in the project and the all the team at Casa Wabi.
As well as Sara Lana, Ana Medina, Marie-Christine Cabanas, Daniel Godínez Nivón, Erick Meyenberg, José Luis Barrios, Joel Otterson, Julien Devaux, Elizabeth Calzado Michel, Francis Alÿs and Morris Manuel Trujillo.

Exhibitions: Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Querétaro (Mx, 2022), Galería Unvers54 (Mx, 2023), Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso (Mx, 2024),

Portrait of the children with their ocarinas
Action with the children – Picture by Emanuel Ruiz Triste
Aquatic Installation – Picture by Emanuel Ruiz Triste
Action with the children – Picture Juan Fino – Cortesia de Fundación Casa Wabi
Aquatic Installation in the lagoon of Zapotalito
Aquatics Ocarinas
Drawings by the children
Classroom – Picture by Mio Yamato
Clay workshop – Picture by Mio Yamato
Classroom – Picture by Emanuel Ruiz Triste
Preparation of the action – Picture Juan Fino – Cortesia de Fundación Casa Wabi
Studio at Casa Wabi – Picture Natalia Gómez – Cortesia de Fundación Casa Wabi