Join a festive and hybrid celebration taking place at Loughborough University (UK) and in Cherán (Mexico) to conclude the collaborative project Parhankua: Fire, Community, and Ecological Justice.* 

This special gathering marks the culmination of a rich exchange between artists Betel Cucué, Rosa Marina Flores Cruz, Dorine van Meel, Felipe Viveros, members of Futuros Indígenas and Cherán’s community and participants at Loughborough University. 

Centering the perspectives and cosmovisions of Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples, the project engages with ecological justice and intersectional equity. It opens a space to learn from and with one another through artistic expressions that support struggles for territorial defense and help shape alternative narratives. 

As part of the celebration, we will share for the first time the collectively created moving image work Parhankua: Conversaciones Alrededor del Fuego, alongside live performances, discussions, and music. The event invites participants across both locations to connect through a shared moment of reflection, creativity, and exchange. 

By engaging with different ways of being and doing together, the project seeks to build long-term relationships rooted in care and solidarity, relationships that open a shared horizon for ecological and social justice to emerge. 

Free refreshments will be served at the in person event during the interval, including a vegetarian soup.

This is a hybrid event, taking place in person at Loughborough University's campus and online via Microsoft Teams. Please select the relevant option below to book your place.

Book your in person place

Book your online place

Accessibility

Stanley Evernden Studio (MHL0.14) is on the ground floor of Martin Hall and there is step free access into the building. There is a gender neutral, accessible toilet on the ground floor corridor of Martin Hall.

For more information about the venue, including photographs, view the access guide for Martin Hall on AccessAble.

If you have any specific access requirements or anything you would like us to be aware of when running the event, please let us know via the booking form or email LU.Arts@mailbox.lboro.ac.uk in advance of booking and we will do our best to accommodate them.

Parking

Please note that visitors are required to register their vehicle and pay to park on campus. There are various ways in which you can register and pay (both in advance and on arrival).

More information on visitor parking

Photography and Filming

Photography and filming will be taking place at this event. If you do not consent to your photo being taken or being filmed and this being used by Loughborough University and/or LU Arts for publicity purposes, then please alert the photographer, videographer or event organiser on the day.

Parhankua: Fire, Community, and Ecological Justice is organised by Betel Cucué, Rosa Marina Flores Cruz, Dorine van Meel, Felipe Viveros, and members of Futuros Indígenas and Cherán’s community. 

The project is hosted by Radar, supported by the Mondriaan Fonds and part of the Dorine van Meel's research fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Studies. 

*The ‘Parhankua’ are stones used to support the griddle over the fire and are an essential element in traditional Purépecha culture in Cherán, Michoacán, Mexico. They symbolize family unity and the passing down of traditions through generations. In Purépecha culture, the fire is a central gathering space where families come together. It is here that much of the socializing takes place, especially among women, whether they are cooking, sharing stories, singing, solving problems, or planning celebrations. The ‘Parhankua’ is truly the heart of the home.