Se hacen viajes
From the observation of the trocheros in the Colombia-Venezuela border, Santiago Velez combined two elements to create SE HACEN VIAJES: crocs shoes and rollerblades. As the Colombian visual artist notes, the people who transport goods (trocheros) are oftentimes wearing crocs shoes, since the footwear is waterproof and they have to walk through water from one side of the border to the other. The purpose of relating crocs shoes with rollerblades comes from the acknowledgment that one needs to invent and modify available resources when migrating. In this sense, waterproof shoes with wheels seem an adequate article for trocheros. For BLURRED LINES, Santiago Velez’s goal was to broaden the general concept of technology to not only digital tools but also to any object that can be adapted, created, or transformed into a useful device when crossing borders.
About the artist
About the project
For 10 days, six artists researched and created together innovative artworks to generate the exhibition BLURRED LINES. The art residency took place between 22/07/2022 and 31/07/2022 in Cúcuta, the destination of many refugees and migrants in Colombia. Because the city is on the border with Venezuela, MATZA EDGELANDS saw it as a relevant place to explore how new formats of social contract could emerge among the complex and blurred layers of cities. Curated by Séverin Guelpa and Anja Wyden Guelpa in alignment with the Edgelands Institute, MATZA EDGELANDS CÚCUTA combined MATZA’s artistic potential of addressing social and environmental issues with Edgelands’ urge to understand the consequences of technology and digitalization on the urban fabric.
