IÑAKI IRIARTE MAÑOSA

The Change I Want to Bring to the World

I am interested in exploring the link between people, politics, and theater. When watching political debates, we tend to think the stage is politics, but in fact it is just a stage. It is the fixation of our gaze and attention that is the actual work of politics. I would like to work with audiovisual methods to explore the border between reality and representation and to survey, from a third person point of view, the point at which we sense ourselves seeing or see ourselves sensing things. This interest originates from the belief that the audience has much more power than it is actually allowed to exert. Too often, the screen pacifies rather than activates audiences. 

As a geographer actively engaging with interdisciplinary research on climate change, I am also resolved to contribute toward reimagining institutions away from the prioritization of endless economic growth, toward a democratized and decolonial future that is the outcome of collective creation.

How I’ve Been Involved in Changemaking So Far

In 2019, I participated in the Moleskine Foundation’s AtWork tour exploring the question “Where is South?” at the Tate Modern. Here, I exhibited my work as part of a collective of artists, filmmakers, and writers challenging our conception of what ‘South’ means geographically, economically, and culturally. 

As part of the Laidlaw Undergraduate Research and Leadership Scholarship Programme, I have also contributed to research by Dr. Malu Gatto analyzing the crisis of political representation in Brazil and investigating the gendered patterns of political elections and the determinants for female political candidates in achieving political office. This research ultimately was published in the journal Politics & Gender.

On a local scale, I have led youth efforts to combat air pollution in my hometown in England by collectively designing and constructing a moss-filled wooden structure to filter harmful particulates.

What Drew Me to This Fellowship

The fellowship combines personal leadership skills and an action project oriented toward community. I look forward to the opportunity to create my changemaking project in one of the world’s most dynamic cities, New York City.