La Marinera Es Bien Peruana
Maria Farah
Music has a central role in human culture, having existed and connected people since before language developed. The Marinera is a blend of Spanish, Moorish, Andean and Gypsy rhythmic influences that has become one of the most traditional Peruvian dances and an authentic result of the “mestizaje” brought by the Spanish Conquest. This project is a historical and visual representation of the complexity of one strand of this cultural heritage.
It seeks to value and maintain this cultural tradition relevant while asking the bigger question of how culture is formed, evolved and shaped by time, emigration, and place. A visual code inspired by the musical base pattern of the Peruvian cajón printed on the postal stamps completes the circle in the project by sending the Marinera around the world and contributing to the cultural flow. The complete package includes the post stamps, maps-inspired collages printed on silk handkerchiefs like the ones used in the dance, a vinyl disc and a booklet with its cultural tracing. The visual code also unlocks an interactive and informational website accessible to anyone.
The pastiche approach relates to the process of different cultural elements coming together through the years. It predominately uses red for the Peruvian flag and graphic juxtapositions and transparencies to explore the blending of cultures and people — concluding that the lives of people from all over the world are much more intertwined than what we might initially think and everything carries a little bit of everywhere.