Rio Negro, Mil [quase] Mortos: Boiúna

Emerson Munduruku (alias Uýra Sodoma) is an indigenous performer, biologist, and educator from Manaus, an industrial territory in the middle of the Central Amazon. Using the body as a support, and through organic elements and make-up camouflage, Munduruku transforms himself into the alter ego Uýra Sodoma, in plant and animal flesh, moving to expose violations of nature and promote the protection of the environment. Travelling in river communities, Munduruku mixes scientific and ancestral knowledge with an exploration of ecological diversity. In the photoperformance Rio Negro, Uýra Sodoma takes the shape of the Amazonian River during a class in the Sustainable Reserve of Anavilhanas. In the two photographs from the performance Mil [quase] Mortos: Boiúna, Uýra Sodoma turns into Boiúna, a creature in Brazilian mythology resembling a snake with a 10-metre tail. Lying on a pile of garbage, the performer raises awareness of the polluted river, encouraging people to mobilize in the face of environmental degradation.