Experiencing Interruptions?

GAWI

Close your eyes and fall into an intimate dream of landscape and connectedness. An ancestral Rarámuri poem enlightens your journey, as you discover a way of life for healing Mother Earth and yourself. GAWI is an immersive virtual reality experience co-created with the Rarámuri community in northern Mexico. GAWI - meaning "Mother Earth" - offers an intimate experience of how a Rarámuri state of mind and soul can feel. The experience follows a dreamlike narrative that unfolds to the rhythm of a poem celebrating indigenous ecological wisdom. What will you do when you awake?

  • Myriam Alejandra Hernandez
    Director
  • Isabel Monarca Cruz
    Director
  • Lorenzo Moreno Pajarito
    Director
  • Karen Bellato Pérez
    Producer
  • Dane Christensen
    Producer
  • Myriam Hernandez Vazquez
    Producer
  • Dane Christensen
    VR edition
  • Barna Szász
    Sound Design
  • Lorenzo Pajarito Moreno
    Original Music Composers
  • Isidro Ortega Moreno
    Original Music Composers
  • Bacajípare Community
    Key Collaborators
  • Huetosachi Community
    Key Collaborators
  • Project Type:
    Virtual Reality, Installation, 360 Video
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 23, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    36,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Mexico
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Atlantic Institute (Educational Exhibition)
    Oxford
    United Kingdom
    July 13, 2023
  • Pordenone Doc Fest
    Pordenone
    Italy
    April 10, 2024
    European Premiere
    VR storytelling
  • Audience Award for Best VR Experience
    Pordenone
    Italy
    April 10, 2024
    European Premiere
    Audience Award for Best VR Experience
  • ReImagine Turism (Conference Presentation)
    Santiago
    Chile
    April 13, 2024
  • Second Mexican Conservation Forum (Community Exhibition)
    San Cristobal de las Casas
    Mexico
    October 31, 2023
Director Biography - Myriam Alejandra Hernandez, Isabel Monarca Cruz, Lorenzo Moreno Pajarito

Myriam Hernandez Vazquez
Myriam was born and raised in Irapuato, Guanajuato. She is working on the intersection of extended reality (XR) technology, storytelling and social equity. She brings 13 years of experience working with indigenous people, youth, and women organizations from Latin America. She has served as an educational policy advisor for UN Mexico, and has collaborated with local and global organizations supporting human rights and civic and political freedom. Her first VR film "Loxa" (2018), about the life of a Mexican indigenous girl, was selected at the Oregon Film Festival and exhibited at an international education conference (CIES) in Miami, (2020). She is currently co-leading XR projects in Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. Myriam holds a Masters of Arts in Social Policy and Development from the London School of Economics (2015), and in 2022 became a Senior Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity.

Lorenzo Moreno Pajarito
Lorenzo is a traditional authority from the Sierra Tarahumara region in Chihuahua, Mexico. He is an advocate for the culture and traditions of the Rarámuri communities. As a community leader, he has promoted local and international collective actions in defense of his territory. Lorenzo is a highly regarded representative of his community and is very generous and patient with those who do not know the Rarámuri culture.

Isabel Monarca Cruz
Isabel is a Rarámuri woman who has dedicated her life to working for the well-being of her community. Isabel is a representative and spokesperson for her community, she works especially for the recovery of her ancestral territory. She led the international process for the restitution of their territory. Today she is a proud governor of her community and a craftswoman. Isabel loves to walk in the forest and to see other places.

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Director Statement

As an art collective we believe that storytelling is a political action able to uplift marginalized voices and identities. We acknowledge the colonial and extractivist dynamics underpinning mainstream media production, hence we strive to redefine the rules of the creative industry by pushing for more diverse, ethical and participatory approaches in creative processes. At GAWI we also seek to change mindsets about our relationship with Mother Earth by celebrating indigenous ecological wisdom. We embrace VR as a new tool to create connectedness and collective power to advance social and climate justice.