Cercavamos

Cercavamos is a contemporary art collective and transmedia project focused on urban memory, public space, and community storytelling. Emerging in the early 2010s through collaborations among artists, researchers, and urban practitioners, the collective situates its work at the intersection of fieldwork, documentary practice, and participatory installation. The name is commonly interpreted as a blend of Spanish cerca and vamos, signaling a philosophy of close looking and active engagement in the city.

Activities and methods: Cercavamos conducts time-based fieldwork in cities, organizing neighborhood walks, oral history interviews, and participatory workshops. It collects audio, video, and archival material and assembles multimedia installations, interactive maps, and online archives that are accessible to the public. Local communities are often involved as co-creators, contributing memories, maps, and narratives that shape the final presentation.

Projects and distribution: The collective has produced site-responsive installations and screenings that tour galleries, festivals, and cultural centers. Works typically address themes of memory, marginal spaces, and the role of urban infrastructure in daily life, using archival materials, sensor data, and audience participation to generate layered narratives.

Reception: Critics note Cercavamos for its collaborative approach and its blending of documentary methods with artistic inquiry. The project is discussed in the context of urban studies, contemporary art, and public history, with attention to its participatory framework and accessibility of archives.