Essence of the River, a proposal by the collective Memorias del Río

 

Photo by Dany Barrientos

Essence of the River is a public art action carried out in 2023 by the collective Memoria del Río, as part of the program Rizoma: Art and Experimental Pedagogies from Tegucigalpa, coordinated by Adán Vallecillo. The project began with a territorial investigation of the sub-watersheds that feed the Choluteca River—one of the most important, yet most polluted, bodies of water in the Honduran capital. The collective visited key sites such as the La Concepción dam, collecting images, water, vegetation, and technical testimonies about the processes of water purification and distribution in the city.

Based on this research, the collective created a fictional perfume titled Essence of the River. The project included the production of a mock commercial and a public performance in which perfume bottles were distributed in the urban space—specifically on the iconic Carías Bridge, which spans the river. As they handed out the bottles, the artists explained that the fragrance came directly from the Choluteca River. This provoked surprise and discomfort among recipients, reflecting the deep-rooted associations of the river with stench and pollution.

The work generates a tension between perception and desire by presenting a poetic, almost utopian image of the river: clean, fragrant, cared for. Essence of the River does not deny the environmental crisis but instead uses fiction to spark critical awareness. In the words of the collective, it is a symbolic act of emotional reparation—a way of giving love back to a river abandoned by both the state and society. The action aligns with artistic practices that use relational aesthetics and urban interventions as tools for imagining other possible futures.