Red Forest: Shihuahuaco, the Wise Elder Tree of the Amazon

The human hand, symbolized by plastic, seems to have placed itself at the heart of devastation. Yet millennial species like shihuahuaco trees appear to be firmly rooted in the ground of the Amazon rainforest with roots spreading several meters above the ground. In her video performance "Red Forest: Shihuahuaco, the Wise Elder Tree of the Amazon," Peruvian artist Carolina Bazo incorporates video, sound, and plastic to immerse the viewer in an imagery journey where she explores the sensory pleasures of the jungle.

The artist can be seen shifting across the screen as the colors and waves of the river change. Sound effects like forest sounds are also used to show how ecosystems can make sounds that are very different from each other. By using video as a form of communication, Bazo's images suggest spectators participate in an engaging and multisensory experience by following the character as it awkwardly moves through the water and goes through different stages of metamorphosis, becoming different hybrid beings, and finally turning into a dark butterfly as a symbol of hope and death as the last and most drastic change that must occur.

“My work is very much inspired by my personal experiences and journeys to the heart of the jungle, as well as my evocation of symbolic animals,” says the artist. “My main motivation, however, was to raise awareness about the exploitation and destruction of the ancient shihuahuaco, which is on the verge of extinction due to human demand for timber. It's all about change, growth, decay, and the inability to protect the forest."

We welcome you to see the video below and read the complete text here.

Photos by Mariana Bazo