barullo a la orilla

A Commotion on the Shore
Film installation by Las Nietas de Nonó

The video performance*barullo a la orilla*(2025) by siblings ulowayi iyaye nonó and mapenzi chibale nonó, known as Las Nietas de Nonó, evokes a constant longing for a connection to the coast of Puerto Rico —a place of longing marked by dispossession and resistance. Using patterns made from coconut palms and thread figures, they create visual dialogues that reveal the interconnections of the Caribbean archipelago and the tensions between traditional customs and exploitative practices. The setting of their film is the Reserva Natural de Humacao, a nature reserve on the island’s southeast coast. This area is shaped by the communal struggle, which began in 1986, to preserve the local Pterocarpus forests, wetlands, and mangrove ecosystems. The wounds inflicted by colonialism and imperialism are still clearly felt in this region. They are evident in the remnants of the sugarcane industry from the 1930s, an abandoned water pump, and military installations from the 1940s that were built for the U.S. Army during World War II. The concept of solastalgia —a profound sadness and despair in the face of environmental destruction—and the intense suffering caused by the exploitation of the coastline motivated Las Nietas de Nonó to reflect on a sense of place that is shaped both individually and collectively. Through a choreography of movements, rituals, and weaving techniques, the duo proposes a speculative and contemplative approach that engages with both the decay and the richness of this area, thereby reappropriating cartography as an Indigenous practice.

Part ofBwa Kayiman: Crossing the Mangrove.

In Spanish with English subtitles, 7' 58", loop