An unassuming industrial warehouse in Brunswick morphed into a four-day celebration of Latine creativity in Melbourne.
Azul Bermudez and Sen Vanderzalm form N0 R3PLY Collective; a creative duo who have hosted multiple bespoke art installations in Melbourne over the course of three years.
Their latest and most ambitious project, created in collaboration with founder of Chuleo Club’s Lina Zalabeta, is Cadena; a four-day festival, bustling with the performances and work of Latine creatives.
An unassuming industrial warehouse in Brunswick morphed into several different stages to cater to the laden programme, with the help of set designer Rocio Lamana and projection designer, Adrian Frichitthavong.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
View this post on Instagram
Among the stacked programme featured: a cinema showcasing Latine short films, an intimate poetry recital and bookmaking workshop, a live painting and music performance by Zoë Milah DeJesus and Vessa, Ximena Jiménez’s photography of Naarm’s ballroom scene, Rosalatín’s nail studio, tattoos by Vanessa Valbuena, the launch party of Tina Disco’s new EP and lastly, a signature party hosted by Chuleo Club.
The festival’s name translates to ‘chain’ – a title that Azul chose because of the interconnectedness of the Latine diaspora in Naarm.
“Cadena means chain, but if you think about it, it’s the unity of individual elements coming together to create this really strong link,” she said.
The community’s support for each other was obvious – night after night, the same faces would pile into the veiled warehouse, looking incrementally more tired than they had the night before. Despite this, the same faces would move in figure eight circles, laughing and talking with each other, before devoting their whole attention to the performance of the night.
Reflecting on the festival, co-creator Sen said,
“Cadena really did put a spotlight on Latine creativity and shows the contributions of the diaspora within Naarm and how integral they are to making the cultural scene here fruitful and generative.”
Though the talent and vivaciousness of these Melbourne creatives filled every inch of the industrial space, breathing life into the brutalist structure, Azul described the experience as “bittersweet.” Cadena is her “goodbye letter” to Naarm, written after receiving news that she must leave the country in December due to tightened visa regulations.
“Yes, it’s quite bittersweet of a process because in a way, we’re celebrating Latine culture and what it is – what we bring to the table creatively and artistically. But on the other side is the reality that I’m still an immigrant. I’m still someone who couldn’t make it through the system in order to have the opportunity to stay [despite] the contributions of not only me, but that this community is bringing to Australia.”
Though Cadena will be the last festival that Azul will be “physically” present for in Naarm, she hopes that the community fostered within it, will live on.
“It’s a thank you letter to everyone, with the hope that… people that have come to this space, they keep connecting and keep building and keep creating, because it’s important. That’s how you survive,” she said.
Artists turn the mundane into magic, carving out beauty with every brush stroke, spoken word or shuttered moment. They are in the business of actualizing imagination. But for Azul Bermudez, Sen Vanderzalm and Lina Zalabeta, the magic and the art really exist within the people who are drawn to it; the community that shows up night after night.
“We were not given a space, we made the space,” Azul said.
In that making; honest, harmonious, and resilient, lies Cadena’s true masterpiece.
For more information, go here.
