Declaring water to be a hydrocommon with a set of elemental rights, Hydrofiction 01: Holy Waters attempts to counteract the commodification of water with a poetic performative gesture. Reflecting on the paralegal and ritual uses of water, Antonia Hernández use pilgrimage as a research strategy, linking the neoliberal doctrine developed by The Chicago Boys – a group of Chilean economists educated in Chicago who acted as economic advisors during Pinochet’s dictatorship – with its ongoing impact in Chile’s Petorca valley, where avocado farming is de-pleting the scarce water resources due to an extended drought that affects the region.

The installation is accompanied by a libretto Holy Waters. A play in two acts co-written by Laura Cugusi and Antonia Hernandez.