2020- 2021- SACRED SEED / LANDSCAPE INTERVENTION OJAI CULTURAL CENTER and FLOURISH FELLOWSHIP

Performance , sound and video installation

Marisa Caichiolo’s and the rest of the women’s

offerings, symbolized by a seed in its germination

process, acts as a ritual of nourishment and

connection with Mother Earth.

Each seed contains immense potential for life,

capable of growing, flowering, and offering fruits

and flowers that nourish, inspire, and empower.

The magic of these rituals lies in the alchemy of

community and the act of sharing; by cultivating,

we also share abundance. Plants provide us with

food, and it is only right that we give something

back in return. One way to reciprocate is through

rituals that offer to the plants what they give us:

physical nourishment and metaphysical energy.

The ritual is performed in nature, carried out by a

woman who embodies femininity and fertility.

“Back to the Roots” weaves together the threads

of her European ancestors with her South

American roots. As a child, Caichiolo would

watch her grandmother’s hands deftly maneuver

the needle, stitching not just fabric but also the

stories of their family: tales of migration, sacrifice,

and hope.

Each piece of fabric was infused with the essence

of their shared history, a legacy that transcends

borders. Her grandmother’s father, a man of the

earth, spent his days cultivating the land that had

welcomed him to the American continent.

His connection to the soil was profound, a silent

dialogue between human and nature. From a

young age, Caichiolo learned that every seed

planted was a promise for the future, a testament

to resilience and the cycle of life. Walking beside

him through the fields, she learned to listen to the

whispers of the land, the stories hidden within the

soil. In “Back to the Roots,” Caichiolo seeks to

capture this duality: the contrasts and connections

between her ancestral past and her present.

MARISA CAICHIOLO