Prototype Name: All Possible Rivers
Artist(s): Federico Pérez Villoro (he/him)
Year: 2023
Materials: Video installation of the computational model
All Possible Rivers is a computational model that projects the future geomorphology of the Rio Grande / Río Bravo, focusing on its significance as the U.S.-Mexico border. By simulating complex interactions between water and land, the model generates speculative landscapes across geological timeframes. The project explores the evolving course of the river as a boundary technology, using topographic scans and computational techniques to visualize the dynamic relationships between water, sediment, and landforms.
The purpose of this project is to raise awareness of the shifting nature of the river-border and the environmental and socio-political complexities tied to it. It serves as both a scientific and conceptual tool, encouraging public discourse around migration, border politics, and the broader implications of human intervention in natural ecosystems.
Looking ahead,
All Possible Rivers aims to function as a collaborative resource, integrating with academic research, journalism, and grassroots initiatives. In the future, it aspires to contribute to ongoing dialogue on climate change, migration, and borderland violence, offering an open-ended platform for exploring the intersection of technology, landscape, and politics.
Explore the prototype
Federico Pérez Villoro is an artist living and working in Mexico City. Through texts, installations, videos and mathematical resources, Federico explores the ways in which state, corporate and institutional power materializes through the strategic use of information technologies. His recent work addresses the industrialization of water as an example of the imposition of technical operativity upon living ecosystems. His work has been exhibited internationally and published by Luna Cornea, ADOCS, DELUS, The Serving Library, Printed Matter, C Magazine, Gato Negro Ediciones, diSONARE, and the Walker Art Center. Federico has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and California College of the Arts (CCA). He has lectured, run workshops, and acted as a guest critic at schools such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), New York University (NYU), ETH Zurich, Rutgers University, CalArts, and The New School. In 2019, he founded Materia Abierta, a summer school focused on theory, art, and technology in Mexico City.
federicoperezvilloro.com
