El Respiro / Respire: A Geochoreography by Carolina Caycedo

“Respire” signals the recovery of hope, courage, or strength after a time of difficulty.

El Respiro / Respire is a participatory geochoreography performance developed by Los Angeles–based multidisciplinary Colombian artist Carolina Caycedo, who will lead up to 150 participants in spelling Transición Justa Ya and Just Transition Now with their bodies. To increase awareness about community-led efforts to transition away from fossil fuels, the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for USC students and the public to create works of art with leaders at the intersection of art, science, and environmental justice will be preceded by a conversation with Caycedo and experts from Latin America and Los Angeles about just energy transition.

Schedule (Subject to Change):

10 a.m.: Panel and Q&A
Salvatori Computer Science Center, SAL 101

An enlightening and inspiring panel about just transition, defined by the International Labor Association as “greening the economy in a way that is as fair and inclusive as possible to everyone concerned, creating decent work opportunities and leaving no one behind,” will feature:

> Carolina Caycedo, Artist
> Camila Marambio, Curator, Storyteller, and Somatic Care Worker
> Barbara Santos, Artist and Researcher
> Allison Agsten (Moderator), Curator at the USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability

12 p.m.: Participatory Geochoreography Performance
McCarthy Quad
Led by Caycedo, participants will use their bodies to create the words Transición Justa Ya and Just Transition Now which will then be photographed from above by drone. As the images are prepared for posting on social media, the artist and participants will review and reflect upon the piece and process, and create captions for use when re-sharing the images to amplify the message.

This event will serve as part of the closing of Caycedo’s corresponding PST ART: Art & Science Collide exhibition, We Place Life at the Center / Situamos La Vida en El Centro, at East Los Angeles College’s Vincent Price Art Museum.