Ataskoa, 2005
Photograph on Endura RC glossy Kodak paper 67 x 100 cm.
Courtesy: la artista y Distrito Cu4tro, Madrid
Ataskoa started out with an invitation posted and publicised in the press, radio, pamphlets and posters to create a traffic jam in the mountains. On 18th September 2005, 160 cars (with approximately 425 people) came together in Intza (Navarra) at the foot of the Aralar mountains. Beginning at 11 am and ending at 3 pm, the traffic jam took place in a setting normally free of such occurrences.
The traffic jam was created artificially as if it were a choreogra- phy. As cars arrived to the mountains, they were laid out along the road according to their colour and position. Everything is green in this valley except for a small one lane road which forks into several tracks leading to various isolated farmhouses. Filling this road with monochromatic cars changes the place drastically, both in colour and in significance. Much to our regret, a traffic jam is something we come across in our everyday lives, frustrating our plans and a source of stress. Why should we bring this event proper to our contemporary life in the city to an environment free of traffic jams? The purpose is to create a silly act, a “waiting for Godot”, an induced innocence.
