Carolina Caycedo: We River

With We River, 2016, Carolina Caycedo addresses the socio-environmental violence surrounding dams as a source of hydroelectric power in Brazil – and the people’s resistance movements that have arisen as a result. The Itaipu Dam, one of the largest in the world, entailed massive land expropriation that inspired the emergence of the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST). The Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River, plagued by accidents and irregularities, has encountered extensive Indigenous resistance. The Bento Rodrigues Dam, the recent collapse of which released hazardous mining waste, and Vale do Ribeira, have both spawned opposition from Afro-Brazilian communities descended from maroons and escaped slaves (Caiçara and Quilombola) now demanding reparations. For this project, Caycedo travelled to these places and reconstructed them with satellite images, documents and drawings to create a video that provides a multisensory framework within which to understand the environmental impact of these dams on their surroundings. Personal histories and resonant objects, including handmade fishing nets, testify to the collective knowledge that has resulted from profound land disruption and point to alternative forms of life outside of and beyond the energy infrastructure imposed by colonising corporate-state development.

Climate Colective Video Series 
As part of the Climate Emergency > Emergence programme taking place from April until December 2021, the Climate Collective (T. J. Demos, Molemo Moiloa, Susan Schuppli and Paulo Tavares) has curated an online screening series featuring videos by a variety of international and local practitioners around themes addressed in the ongoing events. We River by Carolina Caycedo will be shown on maat ext. Cinema from 30/06/2021until 24/09/2021.