Water has been on our minds recently: in previous posts we indeed explored its abundance and its influences in fashion. Yet, what occurs in its absence?
"Aguacero," an installation by Colombian artist Daniel Otero Torres at the 60th International Art Exhibition in Venice (until 24th November), presents a structure designed to collect water, addressing the scarcity of clean resources among marginalized communities in Colombia's Chocó region while highlighting their architectural ingenuity.
Born in Bogotá and now residing in Paris, Torres draws inspiration from movements of resistance among marginalized groups in his multidisciplinary practice, which encompasses installations, sculptures, drawings, and ceramics.
"Aguacero" builds upon Torres' earlier work, "Lluvia" (2019-2022), and further develops his project "Asentamientos" (2017-ongoing), which investigated the creation of informal habitats in Colombia examining various structures and their interactions with the surrounding geographical environment.
"Aguacero" features a delicate and ephemeral architectural form, assembled from recycled materials, including steel drums, plastic and glass containers.
Water cascades onto the structure, pooling around the installation. Elevated on stilts, this temporary building echoes the unique vernacular stilt architecture of the Embera community living along the banks of the Atrato River, and of the Afro-Colombian population residing in Quibdó, within the Chocó departmental region of Colombia. The structure functions as a rainwater collection system, offering access to clean resources.
Various communities living in this area share challenges and obstacles: one major issue is the access to drinkable water, arising from a combination of environmental and socio-economic factors. Although this region experiences abundant rainfall, residents struggle to secure clean water due to severe pollution resulting from illegal gold mining and deforestation. As a result, communities develop their own technological solutions.
Most homes in this area, known as palafitos, are therefore built on stilts to address rising water levels, increased flooding, and other environmental challenges.
The installation is complemented by a series of bas-reliefs titled "Donde Llueve y se Desborda" (Where It Rains and Overflows). These terracotta pieces, inspired by photographs, reflect Torres' fascination with pre-Columbian ceramics, while their hues evoke the orange tones of Bogotá, a city largely characterized by its brick architecture.
Metaphorically, "Aguacero" serves a symbolic purpose, highlighting both the prevalent issue of water scarcity in Colombia and its global implications. Torres uses indeed this installation to raise awareness of water pollution and the difficulties thousands face in accessing clean drinking water, an issue closely tied to the privatization and financialization of nature.
This structure is therefore an act of social resistance, looking at the engineering of necessity and at the importance of community support. Here, art merges with activism, serving as a means to encourage connection and reflection, challenging our understanding of ourselves and our society.
Besides, the installation invites us to reflect on an important truth: we often take for granted the clean water readily available in our homes. But, living without it even for just one day can be extremely hard and some of us experimented it also in Europe: this past summer, where droughts occurred, there were areas such as Sicily, in Italy, that faced reduced water supplies.
At first glance, fashion may seem unrelated to this issue, yet the industry is among the leading contributors to water pollution. Let's hope that fashion designers and brands will take notice, maybe inviting Torres to build one of his structures as the set of a runway show: if something as ephemeral as fashion can also be elevated to art, then an ephemeral structure like "Aguacero" can help raising awareness and educating the public.
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