IT'S A STORY ABOUT AN IMMIGRANT WHO RETURNS HOME AFTER BEING ABROAD FOR MANY YEARS.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT MY PROJECT?

HI.

MY NAME IS CARLOS,

I AM A GAME DEVELOPER.

CURRENTLY I AM WORKING ON A SI-FI INTERACTIVE

WEB-COMIC.

COLOMBIA

THE STORY TAKES PLACE IN FUTURE ECUADOR, A SMALL AND COLOURFUL SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY.

Carlos Villarreal Kwasek

SCROLL DOWN

ECUADOR

HI THERE

PERU

THIS IS QUITO, THE CAPITAL OF ECUADOR, A VIBRANT AND MODERN CITY. LIKE MANY CITIES IN THE ANDES, QUITO IS SURROUNDED BY MOUNTAINS. TRAVELING BY LAND IS A BIT TRICKY, SO PEOPLE DECIDED TO TRAVEL BY AIR.

ECUADOR HAS DEVELOPED A LOCAL INDUSTRY. ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS, ARTISTS AND THINKERS HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY THE LOCAL HERITAGE AND THE REGION'S ECOSYSTEMS.

EASY THERE CHAMP.

I'M FASTER THAN YOU THINK.

THIS ONE LOOKS LIKE A TURTLE.

DID YOU MENTIONED THAT I ALSO RUN ON CLEAN ENERGY?

HOW DARE YOU!

I AM INTI, I AM A GOD!

I SHALL HAVE YOU DESTROYED!

HEY, THAT GUY LOOKS LIKE ME!

FIG. 1 INTI God Mask. Tolita Culture (600 BC - AD 200) Gold.

DESPITE PROGRESS AND MODERNISATION, ECUADOR HAS MAINTAINED MUCH OF ITS CULTURAL IDENTITY.

FOR EXAMPLE, RELIGION IS STILL VERY PRESENT.

I AM THE MADONNA OF QUITO. I AM THE PROTECTOR OF THE SKIES AND I LOOK AFTER ALL MY CHILDREN.

EXCEPT THIS SNAKE. HE IS THE DEVIL.

OK. NOW THAT YOU KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ECUADOR, LET ME PRESENT TO YOU THE PROTAGONIST OF THE STORY.

THIS IS WASHI.

HI

HE RETURNED HOME AFTER LIVING MANY YEARS ABROAD. HE IS HAVING A HARD TIME ADAPTING TO HIS OWN CULTURE.

HOME IS NOT QUITE WHAT HE REMEMBERS IT TO BE.

PEOPLE THINK I'M A FOREIGNER

IT'S SO ANNOYING!

LUCKILY FOR WASHI, HE HAS SOME RELATIVES THAT WILL HELP HIM "INTEGRATE" AGAIN.

THIS IS GLORIA.

SHE IS A TOUGH WOMAN AND SHE HAS ALWAYS FOLLOWED HER OWN DREAMS. ALTHOUGH GLORIA AND WASHI MIGHT NOT ALWAYS AGREE, THEY DO CARE FOR EACH OTHER DEEPLY.

I PRAY FOR THAT BOY, MAY HE FIND FAITH AND HAPPINESS

BUT I ALSO PRAY FOR GOOD LUCK ON MY NEXT RACE.

I ALMOST FORGOT TO MENTION, GLORIA IS AN UNDERGROUND RACER. RELIGION AND SPEED ARE STRONG PASSIONS FOR HER AND THEY ARE DIRECTLY CONNECTED.

RACING IS ILLEGAL

AS AN OFFICER OF THE LAW, IT IS MY DUTY TO STOP THIS ILLEGAL ACTIVITY AND BRING GLORIA TO JUSTICE

IF I'M ABLE TO CATCH HER,

OF COURSE.

SHE WON'T GET AWAY NEXT TIME!

IN ESSENCE THIS STORY IS ABOUT WASHI TRYING TO FIND HIS HOME AGAIN.

THIS STORY IS ABOUT THE FUTURE AND SOUTH AMERICA

BUT MORE THAN THAT

THIS STORY IS ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN IMMIGRANT

BEFORE I LET YOU GO, I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU WHY AM I DOING THIS PROJECT.

I AM DOING THIS PROJECT BECAUSE:

I LOVE TO IMAGINE HOW ECUADOR MIGHT LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE.

HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT OFTEN IN SCIENCE FICTION, LATINO CULTURES ARE PORTRAYED AS UNDEVELOPED SLUMS? WHY?

WHY NOT IMAGINE THEM AS HIGHLY DEVELOPED AND MODERN SOCIETIES?

FIG. 2 Elysium (2013) Directed by Neill Blomkamp [Film]. Elysium (2013).

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, I AM DOING THIS PROJECT BECAUSE  I AM AN IMMIGRANT MYSELF, AND I AM SEARCHING FOR MY OWN IDENTITY TOO.

I HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED THIS PRESENTATION.

ANDEAN SKY IS COMING ON THE 16th OF SEPTEMBER.
CARLOSVK.INFO/ANDEANSKY

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND I HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN SOON

LIST OF IMAGES

 

ALL IMAGES BY CARLOS VILLARREAL KWASEK,

WITH THE EXCEPTION OF:

 

FIG. 1 INTI God Mask. Tolita Culture (600 BC - AD 200) Gold. Photo by El Comercio (n. d.) [online] Available at: http://especiales.elcomercio.com/2014/planetaIdeas/marzo16/img/territorio/slider/1.jpg [Accessed: 7 December 2015]

 

FIG. 2 Elysium (2013) Directed by Neill Blomkamp [Film]. Elysium (2013).