The artist exchange between the two Cities of Media Arts Karlsruhe and Cali in Colombia began in summer 2023. Lucía Diegó (Cali) and Desiree Kabis (Karlsruhe) were selected from among the applicants to create a joint media artwork for public space under the curatorial guidance of Beatrice Zaidenberg. The conception and production of the work My name is Samanea saman, which was unveiled in the gardens of the Museo La Tertulia on November 2, began with Diegó’s visit to Karlsruhe in August, which lasted a few weeks.
At the same time as the SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE Light Festival and Media Art is Here, the Colombian delegation around Lucía Diegó visited Karlsruhe. Starting with a personal exchange, between visits to the ZKM | centre for art and media Karlsruhe, the foundations were laid for the forthcoming cooperative work. From the outset, the aim was to present the resulting media artwork in Cali during the annual cluster meeting of the UNESCO Creative Cities of Media Arts and then to subsequently realise the work for Karlsruhe. With the unveiling of My name is Samanea saman on November 2, the preliminary highlight of the cooperation was officially presented to the international media art community. Not only members of the media art cities, but also international media artists and experts were invited to this event, who were able to experience the result of the artist exchange in a festive opening ceremony in the gardens of the Museo La Tertulia.
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The artwork – My name is Samanea saman
The Samán tree in the Museo La Tertulia resisted weather, seasons and human decisions, experiencing the museum construction and changes in its surroundings. As a silent observer, it remembers processes of change without passing judgement. Between the branches of the Samán tree, coloured fabric panels invite visitors to connect with their surroundings. Artistic prosthetics support the tree’s growth, while a smartphone audio walk shares memories and stories of transformation, time and resistance.
Nature is often cited to argue that the difference between the sexes is normal and anything that does not conform to the heteronorm is labelled as “unnatural”. Yet there are many examples of same-sex relationships and reproduction in the plant and animal world. If we leave gender and role clichés behind us, we can also get rid of norms, expectations and stereotypes. The artwork My name is Samanea saman encourages us to think about queerness and the connection between people and nature.
The 3D-scanned Samán tree was also projected as a digital twin in the Casa de Mono, where it was on display from November 3 onwards.
Cali x Karlsruhe
The cooperative project under the curatorial guidance of Beatrice Zaidenberg was funded by the UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts Karlsruhe as part of the 2023 project funding programme. It is the third project with Karlsruhe participation in the City to City programme, in the course of which the first co-produced artwork was created in 2020. The originally digital project told-hold from 2021 was shown in the form of a physical installation in Cali until December 8.
