Buen Pensar

 Art, ancestral knowledge and co-creation in the Amazonian territory

The Buen Pensar artistic residency, led by Fundación Más Arte Más Acción (MaMa) and IMPAKT in collaboration with the Guainía Community Museum and local and international partners, brought together cultural exchange, artistic creation and shared learning in the Amazonian territory of Inírida. Colombian artist aniara rodado, based in France, was selected through an open call to take part in the residency. This is one of ten S+T+Arts residencies, working for the first time with South American and European partners within the framework of “Buen-Tek,” which connects the Andean Indigenous ideas of Buen Vivir and Lo-Tek. The programme is funded by the European Commission through S+T+Arts (link).

A dialogue between contemporary art and ancestral knowledge

The residency focused on bitter cassava (yuca brava). It is not only a staple food for Indigenous communities but also a complex ancestral technology. Processes such as removing cyanide and transforming cassava into mañoco, casabe, fariña and tapioca show a deep system of knowledge that connects culture, science and territory. The sebucán, a woven tool used in this process, is central to this knowledge.

aniara rodado worked closely with knowledge holders, artisans and Indigenous communities through listening, respect and co-creation. Together they explored bitter cassava as a metaphor: turning poison into nourishment, linked to resilience, memory and peacebuilding.

Co-creation and collective making

The residency included workshops, community visits, creative labs and conversations.

A key moment was the collaborative making of a large-scale sebucán with local artisan Manuel Rodríguez from the Coco community, guided by aniara rodado. One of the largest of its kind, it represents the shared effort of the residency where each person contributes their knowledge. This work later formed part of an exhibition at the IMPAKT Festival in April 2026, where aniara rodado and her team presented the sebucán alongside a video developed through the process. During the opening period of the festival, aniara rodado also took part in a series of conversations, extending the dialogue beyond the territory.

Learning and experimentation

A bioplastics workshop using cassava starch was held with students from the Custodio García Rovira School. It encouraged experimentation with natural materials and connected art, education and local resources.

The workshop “Dabucurí – Harvest Festival” brought together traditional practices and contemporary approaches, opening the project to wider audiences.

Impact on the territory

The residency had several local impacts:

• Strengthened pride in ancestral knowledge
• Greater visibility of the sebucán as a living technology
• New conversations between generations about bitter cassava
• Support for local craft and creative practices

It also strengthened the Guainía Community Museum as a space for cultural exchange.

Learnings and future steps

The process showed the importance of co-creation rather than extracting knowledge. It placed Indigenous knowledge at the centre of innovation and used approaches that are sensitive to the territory.

Buen Pensar leaves:

• New ways of working across art, science and community
• Participatory methods based on respect and listening
• Stronger connections between artists, knowledge holders and institutions

Looking ahead

Future work could include:

• Links between art and food sovereignty
• Community education programmes
• Longer, more immersive residencies
• Collaborative projects with an intercultural focus

Buen Pensar invites us to rethink knowledge from the territory. It shows that ancestral technologies not only sustain life but also help imagine more sustainable futures.