Terra australis aedificanda

In 1959 the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) was signed, declaring that Antarctica will be a continent for peace, science and international collaboration. In 2015, artist Betiana Bellofatto (Buenos Aires 1979) travels to the Esperanza Antarctic base to carry out in 2015 the "Purifying ties" artistic project: a purification ritual, through which the participants are freed from their emotional burdens to contribute to the construction of this landscape of peace. The photobook documents through photographs and some texts the participatory project that included a ritual using a 35 meters jute rope, where the participants made knots, then wet the rope, undid the knots and finally burned the rope with the purpose of atonement. Betiana Bellofatto is an audiovisual designer, photographer and artist. She studied at the University of Buenos Aires and specialized in Contemporary Art at the SOMA Educational Program in Mexico City. She is part of NOTRO Espacio, a collaborative platform of image professionals that works on teaching and reflecting on photography. She lives in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.