2026 SPE Annual Conference: Catalyst for Exchange
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print this pageEl Solar
Silvia Borja
Friday, October 18 - 10:30AM to 11:00AM
Kimball Arts 143
"El Solar" is a project that explores my experiences as a 12-year-old living in my dad's hometown of Venadillo in 2009. As an adult, I am revisiting the places I frequented as a 12-year-old during this brief yet profoundly significant period. "El Solar" reflects on experiences and memories of relocating from the metropolitan city that is Bogota to the small rural town of Venadillo, along with the constant feeling of transitioning from one place to another I've had ever since and the impact it still has on me. In this region of Colombia, the word 'solar' is used to describe the backyard of a house where you can find fruit trees, washing boards, animals, and a great variety of vegetation. Likewise, Venadillo and those experiences have become the 'solar' of my life, a place that holds a lot of emotions, lessons, and memories that I have had and continue to revisit throughout my life. The visual narrative explores significant locations and routines that held importance during this period — from the classroom to the main square, the early morning walk to pick up freshly made arepas, to the drive through the leafy tree branch tunnel that leads to town. This project seeks to provide a window to reconnect with my initial feelings of change and adjustment, the socioeconomic challenges my family faced, my interactions with new friends, and the memorable events that unfolded during our time in Venadillo. Overall, "El Solar" explores themes of adaptation, cultural identity, and personal growth in response to significant life changes.
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