Afterall Publishes Essay on Juan Downey's Yanomami Videotapes

The latest issue of Afterall Journal, number 48, features an essay authored by Manuela Carneiro da Cunha and Helena Vilalta that delves into Juan Downey's videotapes created with the Yanomami during the late 1970s. This piece critiques Downey’s idealistic view of technology as a means for social transformation, highlighting that his work is still linked to the ethnographic framework it aims to challenge. Downey, a Chilean architect who departed Santiago for Europe in 1961 before settling in the US, engaged in interactive installations and video feedback. His project, Video Trans Americas (1973–76), documented indigenous cultures throughout Central and South America, yet the authors argue that modern Indigenous self-representation has evolved beyond these collaborative approaches. The essay also acknowledges Downey's insightful inquiry into how video can express relational identities in a connected world.