Expylab
I'm Violeta Ayala
Film Futurist, AI Innovator and Creative Tech
Blog
I was born in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and am a member of the Quechua people. I grew up in the southern part of the city, essentially in the market, living with both my grandmother and my grandfather, a revolutionary campesino leader. My grandmother and other indigenous women, her comadres, came from the countryside to sell their goods. The hood where I lived was once the poorest part of the city. Over time, the term "cholos" has been used in a derogatory manner to describe us, but we have reclaimed this label. Cholas and cholos like us have a mixed culture; we speak a blend of Spanish and Quechua and amalgamate various elements ranging from music and clothing to food and art. Growing up in the '80s, many of us hid our identity, but now we are reclaiming it. I later migrated to Australia as the daughter of a political refugee. There, I attended university and became a filmmaker. I also fostered connections within BIPOC filmmaking communities in the U.S. and with indigenous communities in Australia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I learned semantic coding and developed a strong interest in using technology as a tool for creation and deconstruction. I co-created PrisonX and became part of a new community. As both an artist and a creative technologist, I have grown in my self-expression and developed a keen interest in exploring the physical dimensions of cinema. On this blog, I post about the various communities to which I belong, as well as topics and ideas that resonate with me. I also contribute to unitednotions.film and koa.xyz.