Hala Yella addio/adios

The project is the result of a three month long research, nurtured by a
dialogue with the 87 years old Cristina Calderon. As the last living member of
the ancient Chilean tribe of Yaghan, Cristina Calderon has been recognized as
a Living Human Treasure by UNESCO in 2006. After her, both Yaghan
language and culture will fade into oblivion.
The research takes the form of a journey ‘at the rear end of the world’, the
Chilean Patagonia, where Elena Bellantoni has met Cristina and has experienced,
through Cristina’s words and memories, the aura of her dying culture. A one
channel video documents this encounter as the artist effort to
create a pathway between two worlds, spatially and temporally distant form
each other. Nevertheless, this investigation does not aim to interpret Cristina’s
culture. Rather, the videos document the encounter with ‘the radically other’,
as the philosopher Emmanuel Levinas says. This encounter is not meant to
understand this ‘Other’, but just to let it be. Cristina tells her story, and
images of Yaghan everyday life arise from her whispers and silent smiles in
front of the intrusive camera.