Measure of a Distance is a project developed during an artist residency on the island of Amorgos, Greece.
I was invited to participate shortly after completing my degree in London. It was a very important opportunity for me. However, because of my immigration status, I was waiting for my new UK residence permit after finishing my studies, which meant I was unable to travel outside the UK.
Although I could only take part in the residency remotely, I decided to send a part of myself to the island: my hair. For Andean women, Peruvian hair carries a profound cultural heritage and embodies memory, identity, and connection. I sent a braid that I had previously cut for another performance, wrapped in alpaca wool and placed inside a container. I asked my fellow residents to carry it through the landscape of Amorgos, allowing me to experience the island through their journeys and gestures.
Later, once I was able to travel again, I returned to Peru and then travelled to Athens, where I narrated the journey of never having been able to arrive on the island itself. The work reflects on distance, absence, migration, and the ways the body can inhabit a place even when it cannot physically be there.