In the September of 2019, only 3 months after I graduated, I embarked upon a long journey to the east coast of Panama to partake in La Wayaka Current’s Tropic 8˚N residency. Totally beyond a conventional studio residency, it presents a rare opportunity to research and develop new artistic & creative practices in a remote natural environment between rainforest and sea. In collaboration with an autonomous, indigenous group, matriarchal culture and community at the gateway between South and Central America, this residency appealed to me for many reasons as I sat in my degree show space, looking for residencies to apply to. They were totally transparent in where the fees went and this seemed like an unmissable opportunity to learn from the Guna people and live within one of the richest biomes left on this earth. Do look at their manifestos and full trip itineraries here.
In many ways I don’t think I have even processed a lot of the trip. The pictures above are just a snapshot of the first couple of days; there is an overwhelming warehouse of stories, sights, colours and memories from a mere three weeks away. Living that close to nature and in such a juxtaposition of the wildness I am used to made me feel so aware and switched on to my thoughts, emotions and creative practice. Armila, the Guna village that hosts the residency alongside Victor and Sofie, is one of 7 mainland Guna communities whilst there are another 42 communities living on islands. They live in harmony with the land, only farming and collecting what they need. The community showed themselves to be democratic, full of life, constantly busy yet no one ever hurried or looked stressed. The humidity of living 8 degrees north of the equator definitely took time to adjust to. The three other artists on the residency were all from different disciplines, different stages in their career and different parts of the world. I think it is invaluable to surround yourself with as many forms of creativity as possible and I drew on their wisdom and stories over the three weeks we lived in Armila.
Even though I identify as a painter, I didn’t paint at all during those weeks. I wrote a lot, took videos and photos and attempted to draw with a gaggle of children around me every time I opened my sketchbook. The itinerary was packed with demonstrations of Guna culture; their crafts, legends, history, ceremonies. We took a trip north to see one of the island communities that the residency originally started on, to the border town at Colombia and into the fincas, the rainforest planations that serve the village with crops and materials for construction and crafts.
I only really began to relax to the flow of slow living a week before; it became less overwhelming and more comforting. Yet suddenly I only had mere days to use my newfound confidence. I couldn’t quite believe the residency program I had stumbled upon; it gave me one of my most transformative trips of my life so far and I will be forever grateful of the people of Armila, Nacho and Ida, Victor, Luis and Luz for making it so welcoming and always interesting. I felt I had to expand on my time there somewhat, it’s been such a big part of my painting practice but I really feel like my paintings and poems do it more justice. Please head over to my page that highlights the paintings that I have made so far from my time there.