What impact do you hope this project will have on raising awareness about the melting glaciers and climate change?
The project is an invocation to look at the glaciers of Latin America, there are very remote places like this one where the retreat is accelerating. The Quelccaya was the largest tropical glacier in the world and is at serious risk of disappearing in the coming years if no action is taken on global climate change.
Can you share any specific stories or experiences from the Quechua community that have deeply influenced your work?
The walk to reach the snow-capped mountain is hard, due to the altitude (between 4,500 and 5,000 meters above sea level). Before starting to ascend, the local people suggested making an offering to the earth, as an act of respect for the glacier.
“You can’t climb on your father’s head without asking permission,” they said.
That act became an essential part during all the explorations, during one of the trips the weather began to get bad, clouds and rain. Exaltación Chuquichampi, a very wise man and knowledgeable about the Andean Worldview, performed a ritual to improve the weather, minutes later A bright sun was born in the sky. Like these, there are several situations, difficult to explain in a logical way, but that have influenced my way of looking, giving a contemplative and dreamlike aspect to the images.