サンティアゴ・エスコバル・ハラミージョ

Santiago Escobar-Jaramillo

The Fish Dies by Its Mouth reflects on the resilience of peoples in contexts of drug trafficking and fishing. The beach line connects the sea (or river) with the continent (or mainland) where amphibious communities inhabit with long traditions of music, dance, hairstyles, games and celebration. Also, of agriculture, gastronomy, tourism, whale watching and nature. This peace is permeated by paramilitary presence, violence and drug trafficking.
Drug traffickers need access to the coast to get their product out to sea. During these trips in speedboats, they are intercepted by the Colombian Navy or naval force, and their way of escaping is to drop the cargo to make the boat lighter. Some fishermen from coastal towns in Colombia, instead of continuing with the quiet life they have traditionally had, occasionally prefer to run the risk of taking a load that floats in the sea to build the second floor of their house; Some succumb to this pressure, others stand firm in the face of the onslaught of illegality.
The Fish Dies by Its Mouth is a participatory and intervention project in which the community is an active part in the creation of the images. The contrasts between traditions (peaceful states) and armed pressure (paramilitary and drug trafficking groups) are expressed in different actions, landscapes, bodies and objects. Everyday life intermingles with the construction of the scenes. Here, the performative act is confused with the　swaying of reality, as a song to that undefined limit between sea and land, between legality and prohibition.