| 1. What is the most challenging aspect of your work at the moment? It is navigating the Amazonian context while fostering meaningful connections with indigenous communities. These communities are undergoing deep transformations due to the influence of the contemporary way of living, and our work requires deep sensitivity to ensure cultural respect. Avoiding cultural appropriation while embracing cultural diversity is critical. Additionally, the logistics of organizing an interoceanic, interdisciplinary residency in such remote areas involve addressing infrastructure challenges and balancing the expectations of residents with the realities of the Amazon. 2. What are you working on now that has got you excited? We are developing a network of like-minded collaborators to amplify the impact of COSMICA-res. Currently, we are focused on finalizing the collective journal of the residency, which compiles the transformative processes from participants. What excites us most is seeing how the creative outputs—whether artistic, scientific, or interdisciplinary—serve as vital contributions to broader conversations about planetary regeneration and collaborative practices. We’re also planning a new iteration of COSMICA-res in the Amazon, with the potential to expand into other regions and explore different post-colonial themes. 3. What do you wish you knew when you first started in this position? We wish we had a more comprehensive understanding of how residents would have reacted to the Amazonian context, the shamanic culture and medicinal plants. Anticipating the cultural and psychological challenges of integrating these transformative experiences into collaborative processes would have been invaluable. The impact of individualistic approaches in Western creative practices posed another challenge; fostering a collective, collaborative ethos requires extended participation which goes beyond the individual self and community trust-building. 4. Looking at the field of art residencies in your region, what do you think is the most pressing issue? It is addressing, in our perspective, the environmental and social challenges tied to extractivist practices (both cultural and natural), extensive deforestation, wide-spread pollution and increasing biodiversity loss. These challenges are compounded by the cultural annihilation of ancestral traditions. Residencies must go beyond surface-level engagement to critically confront these issues through meaningful, action-oriented collaborations. How can residencies contribute to the regeneration of both ecosystems and cultural heritage while avoiding exploitative practices? This requires a reevaluation of residency models to prioritize ecological and social justice while amplifying indigenous voices as equal collaborators in the creative process. 5. What are you reading (or watching/listening to) at the moment? We are immersed in works that resonate with the Amazonian spirit and its cultural richness. These include Icaros by the Shipibo-Conibo people, some songs of Asael Cuesta’s, one of our residents who combines opera with indigenous language, and some Amazonian cumbia. We are inspired by books like The Psychology of the Future by Stanislav Grof and The Rebirth of Nature by Rupert Sheldrake, which explore transformative and interconnected worldviews. Additionally, Alonso del Rio’s Los 4 Altares, and the Peruvian work of Reiner Yahuarcani are offering insights into shamanic practices and the integration of ancestral wisdom into contemporary art. Please also include a short bio (max 100 words) and a headshot and send to jamieson@resartis.org Thank you so much for giving your time and sharing some of your experience! Bio:
Lorenzo Poli & Dayana Obando are a duo of creatives uniting hemispheres, hailing from the ‘global South’ of Colombia and from the ‘old continent’ of Italy and the UK. In 2023, our paths intertwined during an art-lab in the Peruvian Amazon, inspiring a shared vision to reimagine different worlds through the arts. We now traverse diverse countries and continents to delve into natural silence, confront identity challenges, and rediscover ancestral wisdoms. Our journeys are continuously nurtured through immersion in diverse cultural constellations, diving into silent galaxies to listen to ecological and societal challenges. Daily, we redefine our path, reevaluating the trajectories of both our individual and collective journeys.
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