River in their Hands

Along the Amazon River, Joaquín and a fellow fisherman move in a choreography shaped by strength and current. This project explores the physical dialogue between human effort and the force of the river, defined by repetition and endurance.

River in Their Hands

Beneath a blue but shifting sky on the Amazon River, Joaquín and a fellow fisherman repeat a choreography shaped by strength and current. What appears effortless — almost meditative — from a distance reveals itself, up close, as an exhausting negotiation with the river. Nets are cast, pulled, untangled, and cast again — a rhythm defined by repetition, endurance, and strength.

This project examines the physical dialogue between human effort and the force of the Amazon and its surrounding landscape. The intense blues of the sky contrast with the worn textures of fabric, skin, and rope, emphasizing both the physical strain and the quiet mastery required to navigate the river’s force. Movement becomes language: the coordination between the two men unfolds with minimal speech, shaped instead by experience and shared instinct.

Witnessing their work firsthand revealed the complexity behind what might otherwise appear to be a simple daily task. When their net became entangled in a submerged tree dragged by the current, the demanding reality of their work surfaced — strength and patience operating in tandem against an unpredictable environment, because returning to shore empty-handed is not an option.

River in Their Hands marks the beginning of a broader exploration into communities whose livelihoods are inseparable from the Amazon River’s rhythms, which are increasingly at risk due to environmental erosion driven by climate change and direct human exploitation. Through close observation and attention to gesture, color, and patterns, the project seeks to render visible the physical intelligence required to live and work along the Amazon River.