Cinematic textures: Re-thinking non-fiction representations of indigeneity in Peru through ethnographic filmmaking

• In Event: Old Problems, New Representations: Toward an Experimental Visual Anthropology in the Andes

Abstract

The Peruvian highlands have not only been the focus of intense violence throughout the 20th century, but are a zone with some of the highest poverty rates in the country, largely abandoned by the state. It is in this context that the industry that produces alpaca wool has boomed. The alpaca wool supply chain doubles as a locus of poverty alleviation and social inclusion through the incorporation of indigenous design and artisanal fashion. These communities are not only socially marginalized but also geographically difficult to access. The supply chain of these fibers spins new connections across the urban-rural divide. Although the global fashion world considers alpaca wool to be a luxury material, its qualities have been entangled in shifting, often-fraught, histories of race relations in Peru.

‘Moral Fibers’, an experimental-ethnographic film, explores the textures that compose the supply chain from animal to runway. I will present an 8-minute clip that juxtaposes herding, manufacture, and runway presentation of the garments. The scene from the film I will present is inter-cut with archival material that contextualizes the industry in a longer history of representations of race, rural life, poverty and violence in Peru. By exploring fiber through its many forms and stages—animal, thread, garment—the film offers insight into the textures of a complex market and the ways the objects we wear are entangled in national racial politics and postcolonial histories. In an era of ‘reconciliation’ and economic growth, this clip serves to discuss how can the haptic space of film be used to create a sense of intimacy and familiarity that can help move away from popular racial representations that have sustained forms of racism central to the rural-urban divide in Peru.

Author

• Patricia Alvarez, University of California, Santa Cruz