Samayuio reaches out to Quito’s neighbors to talk about the past, present and future of the city’s rivers, as well as to observe their impact on their lifestyle.
In 2022, Samayuio, the Spirit of Quito’s River, gained two important official selections. The first one from the Centro de la Imagen in Mexico, part of Fotoseptiembre International Photography Festival, whose theme was the cultural identity linked to their territory, and the ways in which humans inhabit the world. The second, on behalf of Lucie Foundation in Los Angeles and its International Photography Awards, IPA selected every year at a global scale.
Due to this, the Secretariat of Environment of the Quito’s City Hall promoted the traveling exhibition of Samayuio photographs in the Local Administrations of: Quitumbe, Eloy Alfaro, Manuela Saenz, Calderon, Tumbaco and Los Chillos, in addition to being part of the Environmental Distinction Awards in 2022. Samayuio walked through the city between September 2022 and February 2023 showing the photos to more than 7,200 people.
In each of the administrations, we were able to present The Water Forum, an independent citizen initiative in collaboration with the San Pedro River Rescue collective to raise awareness about the way we think, manage and imagine the rivers of Quito.
The Water Forum moved along with the exhibition of the photographic project, bringing together around 210 neighbors who imagined with us a future where Quito has clean, healthy and fluid rivers, on pair with the health of its people.
In the forum intervened: Monica Aguilar artist and visual educator, creator of the Samayuio project, Maribel Pasquel manager of Rescate del Rio San Pedro and Camola Valarezo loom artist, who is weaving collectively kilometers of the loom of the river with recycled materials, to promote visual awareness about the rivers of Quito.
The Samayuio traveling exhibition was possible thanks to the support of Quito’s Secretariat of Environment and the Quito Water Protection Fund, FONAG.
