Mexican artist /designer Natalia Porter presents “trajinera Xochitl”, a reproduction of an iconic boat typical of Xochimilco, an area in Mexico City known for its canals and chinampas, the relics of an extensive lake and canal system that connected the settlements of the Valley of Mexico to Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire in the 15th century. This “trajinera Xochitl” will take to the waters of Flushing Meadows Corona Park as part of a workshop involving the Mexican community in Queens with music, flowers and food.

Natalia recreated this boat as a site for cultural exchange with the help of Ramon Flores and Antonio Bergua, design students from the Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana - Xochimilco, who researched the design and construction techniques of these boats, and the guidance of boat builder Ben Cohen at The Gowanus Studio Space in Brooklyn. This “trajinera Xochitl” is designed to share the history of Xochimilco and its chinampas, a method of ancient Mesoamerican agriculture still valid today, and also to be a platform for the discussion of different issues concerning Mexico and New York.

2:00 to 4:30pm
Workshop in the Unisphere Gallery (2nd floor of the Museum)
Led by Artist Polina Porras Sivolobova

3:00 to 4:30 pm
Living with Water: Mexico City and New York City.
Panel Discussion at the Museum’s Theater, 2nd Floor,
Led by Kaja Kühl. Special guest Erwin Stephan Otto.

4:45 to 5:15 pm
Procession to the Trajinera with Concheros

5:15 to 6:30 pm
Music and food on the boat Meadow Lake.

Location: Queens Museum of Art
Address: New York City Building
Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens
Information & Reservations: 718- 592-9700
Web site: www.queensmuseum.org
www.nataliaporter.com
Details: Free Admission

This project was conceived as part of Sea Worthy, organized by The EFA Project Space, Flux Factory and The Gowanus Studio Space, presenting work by artists who employ the boat as a platform for collective action, private reflection and liberatory possibility.