Let Her In
Priscilla Marrero, Ferran Martín & Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful Espejo Ovalles Morel
11-2-2024, 3:30-5:30 PM / Meet us outside West Farms Square–East Tremont Avenue Subway Station (2/5 trains), Bronx, NY
Part performance, part participatory experience and part action, Let Her In is a collaborative movement by choreographer Priscilla Marrero, sculptor Ferran Martín, and Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful Espejo Ovalles Morel that recognizes the need to build more bridges in our divisive political climate. This triad of creatives structures their improvisation at different parts of the Bronx River, grounding their walk along the banks of this flowing being. Ferran brings in some of his mirrored-cubes titled Mirror, Mirror, with which he has worked with in the past, and that offer the possibility of concealing our identities, while reflecting back the landscape that surrounds us.
Let Her In invites those in attendance into the realms of play, relaxation, daydreaming, and love for the only fresh water river in the City of New York. At least two drops in every glass of the water we drink in our metropolis comes from the Bronx River. Let Her In is an action that is part of Bodies of Water / Fluid Improvisations Along the Bronx River, a program conceived and produced by Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful, with individual actions co-created with Arantxa Araujo, Andrés Senra, Luis A., and Priscilla Marrero & Ferran Martín.
The series of actions is dedicated to the late Nancy Wallace. “She…[Nancy]…helped transform a watery graveyard for automobiles, tires and appliances into an urban greenbelt for New York City and Westchester County” The New York Times
About Bodies of Water/Fluid Improvisations Along the Bronx River points to the connections between bodies, as in human and non-human ones–such as Rivers–, as well as to concepts of interbeing, interconnectedness, and interdependence with all beings. Similarly, it brings to light ecological and social justice issues regarding colonial histories, environmental racism, and extractive capitalism while issuing a call for individual and collective stewardship and care for all bodies of Water. During four gatherings in different points along the Bronx River, improvisations centered on flow, water, compassion and deep listening are meant to unfold for invited participants, or perhaps unsuspecting audiences and wanderers attracted by a sight inspiring wonder and contemplation.
Bodies of Water/Fluid Improvisations Along the Bronx River / Background:
The Bronx River has been a constant presence for Nicolás since he moved from the Dominican Republic to New York City in 1991. His first job was in the Fordham Road section with the Bronx River Restoration Project and it entailed engaging the aquatic subject through art classes. In 2011 he was baptized by Bill Aguado and Susan Newmark in Drew Gardens. The sacramental was water from the Bronx River and the intention was that of a rite of passage into Bronxhood. Three decades after his first connection with the Bronx, and in a rapidly gentrifying borough, Nicolás is proposing to approach the Bronx River from the perspective of elderhood and aging.
Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful was awarded a New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Support for Artists Grant (Bronx, NY) to support his creative work. Sponsored by The Action Lab, this award is funding Bodies of Water/Fluid Improvisations Along the Bronx River. Through New York State’s continued investment in arts and culture, NYSCA has awarded over $80 million since Spring 2023 to over 1,500 artists and organizations across the state.
Bodies of Water/Fluid Improvisations Along the Bronx River Ó 2022 Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful / with copyrights for individual actions equally shared with each collaborator.