Wave Tube Get Wave AI

Lorena Wolffer. Evidencias / Cien del MUAC

Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo•Open on YouTube •via YouTube

1,764 5:14 Dec 10, 2021

Description

Cápsula comentada en voz de la artista Lorena Wolffer.

Details

Published: Dec 10, 2021
Views: 1,764
Duration: 5:14

AI Summary

✅ Ready

Comprehensive Analysis of Lorena Wolffer's "Evidencias"

Video Overview

Title: Lorena Wolffer. Evidencias / Cien del MUAC
Author: Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo
Duration: 5 minutes
Description: A narrated capsule presented by artist Lorena Wolffer discussing her work "Evidencias" as a participatory cultural intervention.

Introduction to Lorena Wolffer

Identity: Lorena Wolffer introduces herself as the creator of "Evidencias."
Focus: Her work centers on participatory cultural interventions that engage the community in meaningful dialogue about violence against women.

Concept of "Evidencias"

Definition and Purpose

Participatory Cultural Intervention: Wolffer categorizes "Evidencias" as a participatory cultural intervention aimed at fostering dialogue and awareness around issues of violence against women.

Initial Presentation

Launch at MOAC: The project began at the Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MOAC) with a call for submissions.
Target Audience: Initially focused on UNAM faculty, students, and staff, but expanded to include women from outside the university.
Object Donations: Participants were invited to donate household objects that had been used in acts of violence, along with personal testimonies about those objects.

Evolution of the Project

Expansion and Inclusivity

Broader Participation: The project opened up to a wider audience in response to interest from women outside the university community.
Types of Objects Collected:
- Concrete Objects: Actual items that had been used in violence (e.g., knives, pillows).
- Generic Objects: Items that represent categories of objects associated with violence (e.g., any pillow).
- Symbolic References: Objects that evoke the theme of violence without being directly related (e.g., concepts or memories).

Core Themes and Methodology

Transition from Private to Public

Significance of Sharing: The act of bringing personal stories and objects into a public space is emphasized as a critical aspect of the intervention.
Documentation Challenges: Wolffer notes that while the objects can be documented, the personal transitions and stories they represent cannot be fully captured.

Focus on Process Over Product

Participatory Processes: Wolffer emphasizes that the process of participation is more important than the final outcomes or visible artifacts.
Role of the Artist: She identifies as a facilitator rather than a traditional artist, focusing on creating spaces for collective expression rather than asserting her individual narrative.

Intersectionality and Inclusivity

Gender and Identity

Gender Issues: Wolffer’s work revolves around gender equality and the experiences of individuals with non-conforming identities.
Inclusive Feminism: She advocates for a broader understanding of feminism that includes diverse voices and experiences beyond just women.

Artistic Philosophy

Omitting the Term "Art"

Intentional Exclusion: Wolffer consciously avoids labeling her work strictly as "art," indicating it is a component rather than the primary focus.
Choral Projects: The emphasis is on collective voices and shared experiences rather than individual artistic expression.

Conclusion

"What matters is the process, not so much what remains."

Lorena Wolffer's "Evidencias" serves as a powerful example of how art and cultural interventions can create space for dialogue around sensitive societal issues. By facilitating a participatory process that invites personal storytelling and collective reflection, Wolffer addresses the complexities of gender, violence, and identity in contemporary society. This analysis highlights her commitment to inclusivity and the transformative power of shared experiences in challenging societal norms.

Transcript

en

My name is Lorena Wolfer, and I'm here to talk about Evidencias, what I call a participatory cultural intervention. The process behind Evidencias, let's say, the first time I presented it was here at the MOAC, and at that initial stage it basically consisted of launching a public call for submissions, initially for UNAM faculty, students, and staff. The call invited them to bring objects; there were two times to receive them: one was before the installation, and the second was during the installation. The invitation also included that those who donated the objects leave a testimony of what they wanted to share about that object; that is, they could narrate the episode of violence in which it had been used. Very soon we opened it up to other women because we started receiving emails and, in general, questions from other women— that is, from women who weren't part of the university community— wanting to participate. So, it quickly transformed into a project for women in Mexico City who wanted to share and take these objects out of the personal, domestic sphere to talk about them. From the violence experienced, those who donated household objects that had been used to perpetrate any type or form of violence against women, and for family members or people close to victims of femicide who wanted to do the same. That was the first moment here at the MOAC, and then, let's say, I started producing it in other places, when it came to museums or environments where objects could be collected. We launched the call again, and on other occasions, for example, in parks, it was more about presenting the objects and perhaps receiving testimonies, but not objects. And in general, we received three types of objects: one is the object itself, that is, the knife or the broom or the pillow; another is the generic object, which is not the knife or the pillow, but any pillow; and the third type of objects are objects that refer to violence, but are not necessarily the object itself, or there isn't even an object. The fundamental part of the intervention in the end is not what we see here, but the act of bringing, not of Bringing the object and that transition from the private world of women to a public domain is something that clearly cannot be documented, and what remains are the objects as they are. But that transition is the heart, the core, of the project. And yes, in my production, I do what I call participatory cultural interventions. I have very consciously decided to omit the word "art" from this equation because I believe that art is a component, but it is neither the starting point nor the end goal. My work basically revolves around gender issues, around issues of equality, but also around the narratives and stories of people with non-conforming identities. That is to say, in this league of feminisms, not only with the subject of women, but also with all these other subjects who operate outside the norms, and those people who are visible, who are counted, and who have a presence and voice in cultural, social, and political narratives. My interventions have to do with participatory processes. Where, as I was saying before, speaking of evidence, what matters is the process, not so much what remains. Many times nothing remains. Many times what remains is... well, basically more like a performance, in terms of a record. And they are also choral projects. I'm not interested in the notion of a plural where what matters is what a whole series of experiences together or a whole series of voices together do, rather than what I have to say about it. My role is perhaps more that of a facilitator. I did n't go beyond what I call the singular to the plural. I don't think about... I want to say this, or rather, I create these spaces where we can speak, say, enunciate, and demonstrate many things.