Mochilas

Mochilas, which are handmade bags, are a cultural icon in Colombia. They are traditionally made and worn by different indigenous ethnic groups but nowadays they are not reserved only for indigenous. Two series were made in collaboration with the Uriana sisters, of Wayúu origin. The first series depict the Colombian miscommunication using accidented cars in landscapes as a metaphor of our war. Being a country with no real train infrastructure, auto transportation has been at the centre of the development of our economy. Without them, the country is physically uncommunicated. The second use a system of colour encoding to translate words into woven patterns. The texts on these mochilas come out of testimonies of war victims. They have an emotional human charge capable of moving and awakening empathy. The mochilas serve to remember our history and our stories. They also serve to make the knitter take active participation in the construction of our present narratives. These mochilas could act also as an opportunity to re-empower people to discuss openly their role in the construction of the postconflict identity. To shape directly the historical discourse without relegating the responsibility to institutionality or, without letting the institutionality impose one.