Reimagining the Lake of Patzcuaro: the socio-ecological restoration of a fading landscape

The Lake of Patzcuaro in Mexico has faced serious environmental challenges since the 
Spanish conquest, and it is gradually drying up and putting many species at risk. 
Scientists and local communities have been working together for many years to restore 
the lake’s socio-ecological system and protect its wildlife by trying to understand how it 
has changed in the past and figuring out how it will look in the future. This project aims 
to understand how art can weave different kinds of knowledge together in the process of 
imagining and reimagining the ecosystem to support its recovery. This will be done by 
finding spaces around the watershed where different knowledges are summoned with 
the goal of restoring the lake. Among these are breeding centers for endemic species, 
ethnobotanical gardens, archaeological sites, ateliers for making traditional crafts, etc. 
As a result of the learnings from this interaction, I aim to create a "Restoration Manual" 
in the form of a film, to show and research how art can play a role in the restoration of 
ecosystems like those present in the Lake of Patzcuaro. By bringing together different 
kinds of knowledge through artistic practice, deeper questions can be addressed 
concerning the current human relation to nature