Past, present and future of Maize and Maguey – translated into graphics

After visiting Oaxaca, Mexico in November 2011 for the kickoff of the project EITC; we realized there are a lot of artists/ graphic designers that spread their ideas, political thoughts, etc. through graphic prints with a specific visual language. Our main focus in EITC is on Maize and Maguey, and investigates the past, present and future of those plants. Results and findings are as well surprising as shocking.
The data visualization workshop want to try to translate all this information into speaking images that carry the powerful message drawn from the research. The workshop deals with questions like: how can we translate or visualize data into image? which visual (and or textual) language should be developed? how do people read these prints? what should our message be?
The workshop wants to tie together textual research and artistic practice. In the academic world data visualization is used as a way to structure and clearly visualize written texts. this workshop wants to take these figures a step further. The graphic prints are not only a representation of the research, but also an artistic interpretation/ translation.

Aim of workshop:
Transformation is ongoing – and creatives/the arts have a role on commenting on this.
The future is being shaped now and the role of arts is to shed light upon what is going on and upon what is being planned. This situation and transformation can be used as inspiration. The arts can become a platform that comments and proposes creative alternatives.
Contributions to new insights, methods, perspectives, approaches, within a local context, Oaxaca and further.
As means to understand these new futures we choose aesthetics, visualization, graphics, artistic expressions. Both the methods and tools, as well as the materials used can enhance the weight of the message.

05/11
About 25 graphic artists attended the workshop. The first day we had several presentations by specialists about maize and maguey. We asked the participants to note down on post-it’s what they find important, memorable, shocking that they like to share with the group. At the same time mind maps were made of each presentation. Together with the post-it’s they serve as a base for the rest of the workshop.
The lunch is provided by Itanoni and Kate Rich introduces Cube Cola made with Agave syrup in stead of sugar.

Quetzalcoatl – Maiz
Querzalcoatl is a researcher at the university of Oaxaca and works on a PhD about Maiz. He explains us the history of the plant, where it comes from and the evolution it’s been through to become the plant it is now. He stresses the importance of the identity and preservation of the diversity of corn, which is threatened by new GMO corn sorts that are entering the country. Not much is known about GMO and the information about it in Mexico is insufficient. This might on the long run become a problem for the native Mexican corn.

Itanoni – Amado
Amado’s life is dedicated to corn and he has a particular interest in the diversity of the plant and the preservation of all these different types Oaxaca is rich.
His life project is a restaurant where they cook as if the guests are part of the family. They prepare authentic honest Mexican/Oaxacan home cooking.
During his presentation he explains everything about corn:
– philosophy: diversity of corn is metaphor for life, corn is in the centre of life
– lifestyle: use the diversity of corn
– history: history of corn is history of Mexico
– identity: formed by genetics, geography, social
– crisis: of identity, credibility, land use, community, urban vs rural
Itanoni helps villages to produce a big diversity corn. That way it get’s preserved and the restaurant represents the village

Marco Antonio Vasquez
Marco is an ethnobotanist and talks about the mythical aspects of maize and maguey and how they are interwoven in Mexican culture. Both plants and their history are very connected to humans, divinity and ecology. marco explained us some symbols, color use, and the importance of diversity and identity.

06-07/11
After some exercises were we explored in more depth the topics of MM using visual translation some concrete proposals for the exhibition emerged. One group consisting of graphic artists, artisans and computer experts created a game that represents the research of MM. The parts of this board game will be made of wood and will be connected to an algorithm that is translates into semantics. The installation is interactive and as people move the stones new words or images are being projected next to it..
The artisans usually work in a restoration atelier of sacral objects. Working with MM and their symbolism provided a new working method and artistic language, which might have an long term influence on their work. Also other artists explored the borders of their own artistic language and proposed new types of work for the exhibition. All this can be seen as an example of the transformative potential of the EITC initiative.