ATL

It is difficult to imagine how Mexico City founded in the middle of five great lakes, with the passage of time, dried the channels of its waters, gaining space for the growing asphalt city. As an example we have Lake Texcoco, which previously received millions of fish, molluscs and migratory birds such as ducks and chichicuilotes, a source of food for the locals formerly dedicated to fishing and hunting, now Lake Texcoco its descendants They stopped hunting to work at the airport, receiving flights from planes loaded with trinkets and passing people at the control tower.

We live in an age where common resources, such as water, land and its fruits, are commercialized, sterilized, bottled and disguised in ways that prohibit and incite the human senses, indoctrinated by the machine and its banners of progress, stunted by the overdose of information and dependence on “mediating interfaces”, which only have the stamp of continuing with the infinite turning of the gears that incite the fearful narcissism of the packaging and self-extinction. The cans, wrappers and bottles that were initially tested in extreme environments to keep the military troops alive, become part of the daily consumer culture that increasingly distances itself from the origin of what life gives.

If water is a fundamental part of life on earth and human bodies we are a large part of water.How is it that we relate to the origin of our matter in other states? How do we consume water in our daily lives mediated by the systems that have historically educated us? How do we identify with the objects we consume and these shape our bodies?

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This Transmedia documentary was developed with archival material, an old scanner and material waste from the daily consumption of water and its derivatives in a modern city. I navigate through the cycle and physical states of water in interaction with other substances and forces, through various experiments I explore their relationships and how they materialize in the daily life of the world’s cities.

Project Remarks:

The project is conformed by; 1 live cinema performance, 1 interactive PDF, 12 shorts, 90 still images, 4 augmented reality posters and 1 piece of generative art. For on-site mounting the content is mounted on; 4 augmented reality posters, 8 loop projections (6 monitors, 2 projectors), 1 generative piece projection, 1 web interface (mobile, tablet, pc, mac) and a virtual reality gallery accessible through tablets and phones compatible with VR (android, mac).

The Live cinema act requires; 1 fish tank, ++Trash, 1 projector, 1 sound amplification equipment and 2 smoke machines.

  • Pablo Benjamin Nieto Mercado
    Director
  • Project Type:
    Virtual Reality, Performance, Installation, Augmented Reality
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    July 7, 2020
  • Country of Origin:
    Mexico
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Pablo Benjamin Nieto Mercado

Pablo Benjamín Nieto Mercado, Multimedia Artist (Mexico 1979). His work reflects on the role of technology in the transformation of the territory. In 2008 he founded the production company Melvin Records. Its audiovisual production includes 18 music records, 15 installations netart, 28 short films and the feature film The valley of stone rivers, completed in 2019 and supported by BoliviLab and IMCINE in 2016, FONCA 2017 and in 2020 by the Doc Society. He shares his work in Mexico, Italy, Bolivia, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Rome, Prague, Paris, Lyon, Russia, Germany, the United States, England, Brazil, Japan.

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Director Statement

It is difficult to imagine how Mexico City founded in the middle of five great lakes, with the passage of time, dried the channels of its waters, gaining space for the growing asphalt city. As an example we have Lake Texcoco, which previously received millions of fish, molluscs and migratory birds such as ducks and chichicuilotes, a source of food for the locals formerly dedicated to fishing and hunting, now Lake Texcoco its descendants They stopped hunting to work at the airport, receiving flights from planes loaded with trinkets and passing people at the control tower.

We live in an age where common resources, such as water, land and its fruits, are commercialized, sterilized, bottled and disguised in ways that prohibit and incite the human senses, indoctrinated by the machine and its banners of progress, stunted by the overdose of information and dependence on “mediating interfaces”, which only have the stamp of continuing with the infinite turning of the gears that incite the fearful narcissism of the packaging and self-extinction. The cans, wrappers and bottles that were initially tested in extreme environments to keep the military troops alive, become part of the daily consumer culture that increasingly distances itself from the origin of what life gives.