Janine Mapurunga: A Path for Reflection: Documenting the Del Rio Trail

For this project I wanted to address the theme of Belonging by focusing on our connection with place. My original idea was to create a video interview with a local resident who felt a deep sense of connection with the trail. However, after I began developing the project, I decided to change the point of view from focusing on an individual story to focusing on the trail itself. By telling the story from the point of view of place, I wanted to engage with the collective memory of the trail rather than a single person’s narrative.

When we are connected with a place we feel that we are a part of it and it is a part of us. The vast majority of community members I engaged with for this project have noted that to them, the natural environment is the most memorable aspect of The Del Rio Trail.

As I write, this place is about to undergo a rapid transformation that will forever change the landscape. As I hike the trail, I see that the place as it exists today is a mixture of human-made and natural elements. The rails are archaeological relics left from our intervention. Nature has exerted its own effects over the human-made changes to the environment. What we see today is a conversation between those two elements and this conversation is in constant flux. There, the natural environment has been forever modified by us. What we experience are the results of this dialogue.

Instead of interviewing an individual, I documented the place as I saw it and created images that can converse with the memories collectively shared by the numerous people who frequent this place. What I saw as I hiked the trail were quiet moments like grasses dancing in the breeze and bright California poppies springing from heavy iron and aged wood. To note these moments one must slow down from the fast pace of modern life and intimately connect with the place. I imagine the memories of those who frequent this space are filled with beautiful moments like these. The images stand as visual documents of this place before it is forever changed yet again. With the photographs I created a series of six postcards of the Del Rio Trail.

There is a growing sense that print has its days counted. Photo developing centers are close to extinction and the habit of mailing postcards is in rapid decline, along with all forms of handwriting. Given this context, it gives me great joy to incorporate postcards in this work. The postcards are mementos that can be enjoyed and shared. They are tangible artifacts that represent the collective experience of feeling a connection with the Del Rio Trail. Besides the postcards, I also created a video that highlights my creative process.

The postcards and video were part of the exhibit Before and Beyond: Phase 1 Artists of the Del Rio Trail, on view July 7th-29th, 2023 at Twisted Track Gallery in Downtown Sacramento.

They are here online for you to enjoy.

Cheers!

Janine Mapurunga