Artwork
Madre de Dios - Fluvial Intervention Unit
Lucy + Jorge Orta, 2010
- Ref: 5513
- Materials: Dug out pirogue, mirror, lacquered glass, steel frame, reconditioned wood, life rings, toy animals
- Dimensions: 160h x 150l x 550 cm
- Exhibition history: 2010 Natural History Museum London
- Courtesy: Courtesy of the Artists
- Concept: Hundreds of tiny animals are kept afloat on the long pirogue, a boat from Indonesia carved by hand from a single tree.
It is a floating support for the rescue of the creatures here, which are reflected into infinity by the mirrored surfaces,
referencing the global species list and millions of years of evolution on Earth.
The Madre de Dios is an Andean tributary that feeds into the Amazon River, and Madre de Dios means mother of
God, a reference to the Virgin Mary. The artists navigated the river for several days, through a 350-kilometre stretch
of Amazon forest. They stopped overnight at the jungle lodges and research stations dotted along the banks.
