RIVEN Comes to BRIC Arts in June

After two successful showings at the A.P.E. Gallery in Northampton, Massachusetts this past April, director Marina Zurita is bringing her latest research-driven piece, Riven, to BRIC Arts in Brooklyn, NY. Created in collaboration with creatives Laila Garroni and Josanna Vaz, and Scenic Director Federica Borlenghi, Riven examines catadores (waste-picker) culture in Brazil, and further explores the intersections of motherhood and the accumulation of waste.

“In times of climate change and accumulation of waste, we often don’t think about the 20 million heroes around the world sorting and picking through our discards. Our hope is that Riven can shift perspectives towards the global community of waste pickers and their practices of sustainability and deep community building. We are thrilled to share Riven with Brooklyn audiences and engage more people into this fascinating conversation.” 

Marina Zurita, Director

In 2021, amid the pandemic’s spotlight on essential workers, Marina Zurita spent time in her home city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, interviewing 35 waste pickers over a span of 2 months. The pickers shared with Marina about the shame and prejudice embedded in the symbiotic relationship between those who work amongst trash and the trash itself. They also spoke openly and often about the incredibly complex and dissonant mother figures in their upbringing.

In sharing this story, the hope is to raise awareness and give voice to the global community of waste pickers – an invisible community that expands beyond Brazil, accounting for more than 20 million people around the world, collecting materials to be recycled and, therefore, contributing tremendously to the conservation of natural resources and energy while also reducing air/water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions through the reuse of materials. A community that lives at the intersection of motherhood and accumulation of waste, sorting discards and in doing so caring for a future other than their own.

Riven has recently been workshopped as a part of the LAB at A.P.E. which supports the development of new work through residency, mentorship, and ongoing conversation with peers in the field of performance making. The LAB was a collaboration between A.P.E. and Serious Play Theatre Ensemble. Riven was made possible through grants from Brooklyn Arts Council, NYC Women’s Fund, and Seamans Art Fund. 

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