In 2016, Oscar Tuazon joined the “Mni Wiconi / Water is Life” movement. Activists, including many members of the indigenous tribes of North Dakota, had set up the Standing Rock protest camp against the planned construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline — a self-governing place without weapons or money. Tuazon describes the yurts and tipis used there as a temporary and mobile architecture with a centuries-old tradition. He also focuses on the longhouses, which are up to 100 meters long and are also traditional dwellings of the First Nations and Native Americans, in which several families lived under one roof. In addition to the indigenous influences, the work of Steve Baer, a pioneer in the use of passive solar energy, is an important reference for Tuazon’s artistic practice.
“I knew that this is what art is for. Art has a function here. This is what it can do. It’s actually so simple. It’s really so simple. Just make space. And it can be done just with a flag.”
— Oscar Tuazon
