S A L A R

S A L A R is a new artistic research and performance by Amanda Piña/Instituto Tropical. The project deals with the salt deserts of the Atacama Desert, where lithium is mined, in order to drive Europe's transition to so-called renewable energy sources. Starting from the alchemical properties of salt and lithium as well as the atmospheric, biological and cultural dimensions of sedimentary salt lakes in the desert, S A L A R develops a contemporary ancestral mythology based on Andean futurism. With references to quantum physics and nonlinear concepts of matter, energy, and relations, the work explores connections between bodies, minerals, technologies, and ecosystems. In doing so, she looks at lithium extraction and extractivism in the interplay of ecological, spiritual, technological and colonial interdependencies.

The version presented at the House of World Cultures (HKW) is a preview of the performance. While the final version of the work is to be shown in an immersive stage-in-stage format, the artists at HKW are trying out a frontal arrangement that was developed specifically for the Miriam Makeba Auditorium.