Mano Paloma – Tate Modern

Published in a special edition of Tate Modern & You.
Special edition compiled and edited by artist Lucy Harrison
in collaboration with community groups based at Pembroke House, Southwark.
Launch: 18 December 2011, Pembroke House

Cover of Tate Modern & You

Pages featuring Mano Paloma

On Sunday 18th September the Latin American Multicultural Group celebrated the diversity of cultures that make up the vast geographical area that we call Latin America. The Tropical Garden Fiesta in Camberwell Green was part of The Elephant and the Nun, a community-festival comprising four separate events happening simultaneously in different locations across Southwark. I was invited to join the Fiesta to document what happened there, to give a representation of the work of the Latin American Multicultural Group, that produced the event bringing together a network of Latin American community groups. I proposed to document the hands that made the festival happen, building the tents, playing the music, and of course, clapping in appreciation. There is a famous Uruguayan carnival song called Mano Paloma – “Dove Hand” – and compares the sound of the applause of the public to the sound of a flight of doves.

The five countries chosen to represent Latin America at the Tropical Fiesta were Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, decided to represent themselves with a display of native birds and animals. Much discussion ensued as to which bird belonged to which country. In the end, it so happens that birds don’t respect such human-made limitations and happily ignore political borders and immigration laws. I like to think of hands as birds. Hands alone tell us a lot about what we are and what we do, but one would be hard pressed to say what country they belong to. I hope in this collection of women, men and children’s hands you can get a sense of the diversity of the Latin American community, and of the labour of love that goes in sharing its cultural gifts with other Londoners. It surely deserves an applause.

Here’s a slide show of the images included in Tate Modern’s community newsletter Tate Modern & You.

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A una mano paloma por Falta y Resto / To a dove hand by Falta y Resto

Reciba usted este calido abrazo
El homenaje a su mano paloma
A su mano dispuesta a volar en aplauso
Reciba usted este calido viento
Mano paloma de hombre paloma
De niño paloma de madre paloma de abuelo paloma
De manos de hermanos

To you goes this warm embrace
in homage to your dove hand
your hand always ready to fly in applause
To you goes this warm wind
Dove hand of dove man
Of dove child of dove mother of dove grandad
Oh hands of brother