El Tesoro de Salaverry (Salaverry's Treasure)

“El Tesoro de Salaverry” is a story of a wounded territory. In the highlands of Peru, a mining camp was built as an idyllic space with extensive gardens and views of the mountains. However, its beauty is lost as it is an unbalanced, beautiful and sad.

The title of the work responds to one of the legends told as part of the project, in which Felipe Santiago Salaverry (second president of Peru), has to flee Peru by boat as he is going to be killed, but hides his treasure along the way to the coast.

At first glance, the story may seem disconnected from the main story of the mining camp, but it isn't: it's an introductory legend told by a geologist working in the mining camp (who is my father), which, when told in a video with images, reveals the route taken by the americans towards the mining camp, looking for a treasure.

 

Imperialism alericano… (busca eso)… este Proyecto habla fuerte sobre…. Tak tak tak

 

Síndrome de Estocolmo…

 

 

 

 

Will work with I will work with archival photographs from the 70's and 80's of one of the families that lived in the camp, as well as photographs made by me, also in film and of the mining camp in the present day.  The project is transpedia, and also includes moving image of the camp, and written myths about the place combined with geological texts (sometimes combined, as leyends), to tell its story. The project has come a long way since 2018, when it was first shown with archival photographs, some of my early photographs of the camp as well, and texts I wrote during my visits to the mining camp. The images I made and the texts were later put together in the book, but the project was never completed as it excluded the archival photographs from the 70's and 80's, the new potential photographs in film from the miming camp, new texts (history and myths) and moving image. The photographs are the main conductor of the story. The project uses mixed media, is hybrid as it fuses photography with other art forms.

 

After many years of research and exploration with many approaches (photography, writing and moving image) in the camp, I believe I have a solid work ready to be exhibited and displayed.

 

Para que se usaria el grant:

Pictures have been sent in very low resolution, which only allow then to be printed on paper from a normal printer. I have spoken to the family for having access to the images and scanning them again in high resolution. Photograph retouch for dust and scratches is escential for this work in particular, as the pictures are trated as photographs from a family album taking out of place, or photographs that were sent (what was very commonly done before with leeters), where one would write down a description on the back of the pictures. This was imitated in the first work in progress and exhition tryout in Matadero madrid. It was done in my working space and for one day, where I could see its true potential.

 

 

 

My work is driven by an interest in self-learning. I work with many layers and materials at the same time, using writing, video and images to create new readings inside the limits of language and representation. For many years I have been working in the construction of tools to adhere to photographic devices. I use photography to explore spatial organization, aiming to encourage reflection on how perception and understanding are configured.

My writing is more biographical-confessional leaving much less commitment to creative realism. In 2022 I published hybrid book which integrates photography and poetic prose.

 

I’m currently working on an experimental film of the mining camp where I grew up. The film explores new narratives in subjective documentary and video performance. Both the book and the film are about the relationship between a place and a family's malaise.

 

My connection with landmarks in my work is an influence from my childhood, as I was born and lived half of life in a secluded mining camp in the highlands of Perú. I work in landmarks in various locations close to mining settlements and logging industries. Some of my projects are ongoing and open, as they work with technology and study of space during long periods of time.