Tracing Colombia

Tracing Colombia is shown in the DocLab Exhibition, with a one-time special live presentation during DocLab Playroom: Connected Offline.

Visual artist Jan Rothuizen, author of The Soft Atlas, arrives in Colombia for an exhibition, shortly after the country has signed a historic peace accord. What begins as a professional trip evolves into a personal and emotional journey. Wandering through the capital, Bogotá with his camera and drawing tools in hand, he takes in the atmosphere, meets people, and delves into the country’s past, asking: How do Colombians experience their country, with its complex history of colonization and ongoing armed conflict?

Tracing Colombia is an interactive film experience for laptop and smartphone, following the artist as he visits various cities, regions, and neighborhoods. Navigating a country in transformation, he also confronts his own position as an outsider. The chapter-based structure allows users of this web experience to set their own pace and explore Rothuizen’s sketches of various situations, which they can view in full detail by scrolling.