Mountains in Resistance - The School of Mountains & Water
To her, mountains are much more than just landscapes or resources—they are bodies of the earth with their own knowledge, just like humans, animals, plants, and water. She believes it’s time to stop treating mountains as commodities to exploit or holiday destinations to enjoy. Instead, through her work, she combines Indigenous knowledge, scientific research, and cultural movement practices to show how we can care for and live in harmony with the earth.
Mountains in Resistance – The School of Mountains and Water is her call to remember our deep connection to the natural world—and the urgent need to protect nature’s life-giving cycles.
What Does it Consist Of?
Mountains in Resistance – The School of Mountains and Water is a three-day program of lectures, discussions, and installations that focuses on Indigenous knowledge and the connections between humans and mountains. These events invite the audience to rethink their relationship with mountains, glaciers, and water.As part of the project, there is also a performative walk with the audience in the mountains. Each walk is unique, shaped by the specific stories, histories, and landscapes of the location. Participants are invited to connect with their surroundings and experience mountains in entirely new ways.
Previous Iterations:
The first edition that took place in Chile explored water access in Santiago, intertwining personal stories and historical struggles for drinking water rights with current ecological challenges. Participants joined a walk to Yerba Loca Park and Villa Paulina, encountering performances, dances and songs.Presented later at Vienna at Tanzquartier Wien, this Viennese iteration delved into the history of the First Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline. It reflected on efforts to democratize clean water access while questioning the sustainability of the city’s water supply.
At Zürcher Theater Spektakel in Switzerland, audiences walked from Landiwiese to the Allmend, discovering links between the Alps and the Andes. This journey highlighted alternative perspectives on the environment and explored Zurich’s connection to its nearby mountains.
In St. Pölten in Austria, the project focused on the Glanzstoff factory and connected historical struggles for water access with today’s ecological concerns. Through performative walks, participants gained new insights into their surroundings and questioned the infinite nature of their city’s water supply.
CREDITS
Artistic Direction
Amanda Piña
Artistic Collaboration
Leonel Lienlaf
Cecilia Vallejos
Michel Jimenez
Juan José Ramirez Katira
Choreography and Performance
Amanda Piña
Carolina Cifras
Alex Sanzana
Daniela Santibañez
Pierre-Louis Kerbart
Leonel Lienlaf
Juan José Ramirez Katira
Dramaturgy
Katalin Erdödi
Music and Sound
Rodrigo Aros
Live Sound
Angela Muñoz
Overall Design
Michel Jimenez
Costume Design
Federico Protto
Carolina Castro
Contributors
Imayna Caceres
Carla Bobadilla
Juan José Ramirez Katira
Armin Höfler
The School of Mountains & Water is a production by Amanda Piña / Studio Fortuna, which is kindly funded by Vienna’s Municipal Department of Cultural Affairs.