ÁLVARO LAIZ

THE EDGE

During the last Ice Age, a small group of Siberian hunters, pushed by ice sheets and enduring temperatures around minus 60°C, embarked on a migration northward. They ventured into a frozen territory that served as a bridge between Asia and America for 10,000 years. This is where our story begins, on the horizon between the familiar and the uncharted, at a place where the boundaries of ice, land, and ocean blur—a constantly shifting landscape known to the inhabitants of the Bering Strait as Kromka.

With the aim of gaining a deeper understanding of one of the most remarkable and enigmatic achievements in human history—the first population of the American continent—I embarked on a journey to foster a dialogue between science and art, bridging the realms of evolutionary biology and visual imagery. The artistic research that emerged from this collaboration charts a course through countless generations, seeking alternative perspectives on perception and tapping into a shared experience that unites all of us: our collective memory.

The story of humanity can be viewed through the lens of continuous migration. Within this symbolic horizon, we find ourselves retracing the path of our ancestors time and time again, as well as envisioning the journeys of our descendants.

In 2016, I embarked on a journey across the American continent, spanning from its northern border at the Bering Strait in Russia to its southernmost limit in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. In this project, traditional cosmogonies engage in a dialogue with scientific knowledge through the analysis of genetic data, aiming to explore alternative perspectives on our connection with the land and our own identities.

The Edge is an ongoing project developed with the support of: National Geographic Society, Museo de la Universidad de Navarra (MUNAV), Burroughs Wellcome Fund and Rita Allen Foundation.