Daniel Joppert

Artist Residency: La Traverse

In the Americas, a sophisticated intelligence has existed for millennia, profoundly aware of natural cycles. These lands gave birth to interconnected peoples, organized in a multicentric manner and based on self-sufficiency. Their technology, organic and integrated, was based on the biosphere. They already knew the harmful geological and spiritual consequences of mineral extraction from the lithosphere.

These peoples are the origin of a canoe route, linking the Napo River in Ecuador to the southeast of Cuba—an itinerary recounted by Antonio Núñez Jiménez in De Canoa del Amazonas al Caribe, with a preface by Gabriel García Márquez.

Over the last forty years, and particularly the last twelve, many inscriptions, crypts, pyramids, and ancient cities have been discovered throughout the Americas. Western science itself now recognizes that the cosmologies and practices of these peoples offer concrete paths toward sustainability. The Amazon basin, the world's largest tropical forest, was largely shaped by an ancient human consciousness: the creation of "dark earth," cultivated gardens, and the spread of species—including in dry areas.

This project is rooted in the relationship between territory, cosmology, and culture. It proposes a reconnection with the voices of nature, an exploration of what could be called a biospheric culture: a culture that is born from the earth, is cultivated, regenerates, and nourishes living beings, as well as the soil it honors.

Two Residency Stages

1. Research and Interviews (December to February) – Colombia

The first phase takes place in Taganga and other regions of Colombia. It involves meeting fishermen and artisans who live in harmony with natural cycles and multiple, pre-industrial temporalities. This region, rich in craftsmanship and the birthplace of cumbia, inspired the world of Macondo. It also features an ancient pre-Hispanic sacred city, hidden for five centuries in the jungle to avoid invasion. It was a meeting point between biospheric cultures from the Amazon, South America, and the Caribbean.

Visits also include Quibdó (an Afro-culture hub), the Siloé community in Cali, as well as ExpoArtesanías in Bogotá, which brings together many traditional ways of life linked to craftsmanship. In-depth interviews will be conducted there.

2. Final Editing and Writing – Argenteuil, France

The final stage will take place in an old train station in Argenteuil, 20 minutes from Paris. This location will offer a favorable setting for finalizing the written, photographic, and audiovisual content. This place will also allow for a symbolic counterpoint: the train—chosen by the Lumière brothers for their first projections—embodies the straight line, speed, and rationality. A fertile contrast with the organic rhythms explored during the first phase.

About the Project

La Traverse will result in a book, filmed interviews, and analog photographs. It aims to connect science, culture, and territory, stimulate the search for joy, and foster sustainable communities. As Michel Maffesoli wrote, it is popular culture—that born from a territory—that gives permanence to society.

Daniel Joppert – JoPA Compañía Creativa

Author, director, and consultant for international artistic and educational projects, Daniel Joppert is the founder of JoPA. He has led over 130 research and creation projects and has collaborated with Netflix Latin America since 2022. He has coordinated several city applications for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and has managed projects in the United Arab Emirates, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and Brazil. In 2023, his short film Corrupio was presented at the FIC Gibara (Cuba), and he served as an educator at the Isla Verde Festival, supported by UNESCO and the European Union. He is currently developing five films, including Cine Palacio (Cuba), Juquery e o Modernismo, and the series Gente del Sur.