Nayra : la memoria

Nayra is collective creation of La Candelaria that explores the unconscious and the popular worldview about health, death, and displacement. 'Nayra' is an Aymara word that means 'eye,' but can also mean 'ancestors,' 'memory' and 'vision.' Director Santiago García describes the piece as 'an exploration of our myths and legends as both Colombians and Latin Americans.' This piece enacts a time/space of assemblages that address the quest for connections more than the connections per se. By the end of the piece, mirrors blow to pieces, thus recalling not only a fragmented shared memory, but also a country crushed by violence.

La Candelaria was founded in 1966 by a group of independent artists and intellectuals who came from experimental theater and the broader Colombian cultural movement. Directed by Santiago García, La Candelaria is one of Colombian theater's most innovative agents, modernizing national drama while addressing popular audiences. By means of an ongoing exploration of national folklore, situations and characters, they have created some of Colombia's most compelling plays, some of them through the method of 'creación colectiva' ('collective creation'), addressing the acute social and political problems of their society. At the same time, they fostered the creation of Corporación Colombiana del Teatro and have developed a number of theoretical works that reflect upon dramatic creation, its methods and languages. Still nowadays, La Candelaria is committed to repertoire, experimentation, and discussion as fundamental elements to artistic creation.