Living Lines @ Digital Window Gallery

Living Lines is a series of performances and poetry by Stephanie Trujillo documented as a short film, drawing inspiration from her Peruvian ancestry, namely the Nazca Lines – giant, mysterious and ancient earthworks made by pre-colonial and pre-Christian societies in Peru – to create site-specific rituals dedicated to the flora and fauna native to Merseyside.

The rituals are ceremonious and aim to honour the creatures local to Liverpool’s coastline – the seagull, the red squirrel and the moon jellyfish – inviting viewers to tap into the psychology of these creatures based on their roles and behaviours, and how natural ecosystems often mirror social systems. They also draw attention back to the risks the Nazca Lines and other archeological sites in Peru face due to political instability, lack of conservation funds, climate change and over-tourism.

By utilising the Right to Roam to scout performance locations and incorporate found materials, the short film also highlights issues around public access to the land and sustainable film-making. The rituals captured on film are also a way for the artist to connect body, art and land together, incorporating the indigenous Aymaran and Quechuan concept of “Ayni”, mutual and continuous care for the larger world around her.

Stephanie Trujillo says, “By developing a deeper understanding of the Nazca Lines, I began to question my own understanding of my mixed Peruvian-German heritage, and have a newfound appreciation for “nature as spirituality”, a sacred bridge linking seemingly disconnected parts of my identity.

This has led me to question how, if at all, the UK’s pagan roots, folklore and myths could still play a role today to people’s sense of belonging, connection to place and sense of pride to care for the land. Overall, the film reflects on the interconnectedness, or lack thereof, between humans and nature on local and global levels.”