This animated collage is inspired by the many flower markets of Mexico City: Nativitas. The Nativitas market is located within the delegacion ( district) of Xochimilco. This is a rural area located next to the remains of what it used to be the Texcoco Lake. Xochimilco has a fertile soil which allows for the production of flowers and plants of many sorts. My connection to this place goes back to my years as an art student the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plasticas, UNAM. The Nativitas market is located between Xochimilco’s main square and my alma mater. It also has a dock in the Xochimilco channels.
The Nativitas market was another site that I frequented during my university years.Market places in general are sites that I associate with Sundays spent with friends and family.For me, flowers are an outstanding trait of Mexican culture. Therefore, I associate Mexican markets, and the Nativitas market in particular, with the feeling of being at home. My animated collage reflects my feelings of belonging to this place as well as the feeling of being far way from home.
Veronica Sahagun (2011). Between you and Me.
There are two architectural elements in this piece. The first one is an old building located within Montreal’s Old Port. The building is located just a few blocks from my new house in Montreal. The animation ends with the image of a small wooden house that I found in the Nativitas’s market. This video represents a journey in which even though, at some point I have felt lost, holding on to my culture has allowed me to find my way to my own identity. Therefore, I now understand that home exists within myself. This experience resonates with Vaughan’s (2009) educational applications of collage making. This author states: “I proposed that ‘home making’ might be a learnable skill that can be adapted to an individual’s circumstances and needs, that could make a difference to those who for a host of reasons do not feel at home in the world (p. 4).”
The first image in my Nativitas animated collage is a photograph of a stand de hortensias, a flower stand in the Nativitas market. I took the photograph because the flower’s price attracted my attention. Thirty-five pesos are equivalent to three Canadian dollars. However, I don’t think that a flower like this would cost that amount of money in Canada.
During my childhood years in Texcoco, I had a friend whose garden was filled with hortensias. The house was luxurious and the garden was very well taken care of. Therefore, I associate hortensias with wealth. It was surprising for me to see that these plants were sold at such a low cost at the Nativitas market. From my perspective, the Nativitas market confirms that my country is very rich in natural resources. This makes it much more frustrating that more than half of Mexico’s population is struggling to survive. The price sign at the flower stand is made out of a disposable dish. This shows that rural workers often need to improvise in order to get their work done. At the same time, it also shows a low degree of literacy. Using disposable dishes may, in the long run, prove to be more expensive than usingrecycled cardboard. I have grown sensitive to the situation of rural workers because my parents have been dedicated professionals and researchers in this area. I wish that more funds were directed toward this issue and less toward buying weapons.
Veronica Sahagun (2011). In the Market.
Reference
Vaughan, K. (2009). A home in the arts: From Research/Creation to practice OR the story of a dissertation in the making, in action — so far! International Journal of Education & the Arts. 10 (13), pp. 1-25.