My name is Samanea saman

Synopsis

Nature is often cited to argue that the difference between the sexes is normal and anything that does not conform to the heteronorm is labelled as “unnatural”. Yet there are many examples of same-sex relationships and reproduction in the plant and animal world. If we leave gender and role stereotypes behind us, we can also get rid of norms, expectations and prejudice. The artwork My name is Samanea saman encourages us to think about queerness and the connection between people and nature.

Between the branches of the Samán tree, coloured fabric panels invite visitors to connect with their surroundings. Artistic prosthetics support the tree’s growth, while a smartphone audio walk shares memories and stories of transformation, time and resistance. The Samán tree in the Museo La Tertulia resisted weather, seasons and human decisions, experiencing the museum construction and changes in its surroundings. As a silent observer, it remembers processes of change without passing judgement.

The 3D-scanned Samán tree is generated as a digital twin. Visitors can experience the interaction with the tree independently of time and space.

Artists' Bio

Desiree Kabis – Karlsruhe, Germany

Desiree Kabis (they/them) is a visual artist and designer. Desiree works at the intersection of media art and graphic design, combining generative image production, narrative and material experience in their approach. The artist’s speculative scenarios engage with themes of cultural and social displacement in the form of projections, spatial installations, sculpture and performance. The artist is a graduate of Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design and Kyushu University Faculty of Design, Fukuoka, JP.

Lucía Diegó – Cali, Colombia

Lucía Diegó (they/them) is an artist and filmmaker from Cali, Colombia. Lucía works mainly in the field of video, art installations and performance, but also explores textile art and interventions in public space. Identity, gender and sexuality, but also current conflicts, mourning and collective memory are among the artist’s thematic focal points. Lucía studied at the Universidad del Valle (CO) and obtained a Master’s degree (M.F.A.) in “Public Art and New Artistic Strategies” at the Bauhaus University Weimar.