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Vivi Araya-Gamboa | Episode 705

PEZ COCINADO is all about Vivi Araya-Gamboa’s imagination, love and respect for the ocean. When Vivi was a little girl her mother let her draw on the walls of Vivi’s room since that where peces y peces!!! Then on papers and when Vivi went to the university with CLAY. REMEMBER!!! MORE FISHES, LESS PLASTIC!!!!

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What does Pez Cocinado mean?

It means cooked fish.

And why did you pick that name?

Well, you can see that most of my things are fishes and fishes and fishes. At home we have a lot of biologists. My sister is a biologist her husband is a biologist and my husband is a marine biologist so all the time they were talking about all these problematics and what we are doing to our planet and what we can do. And I saw that they always tried to help with their work and I thought, Well, I have to do something.  And I started thinking we are cooking our oceans and then I compared and my fish are cooked too. And that is why I say, Okay, it means two things. It means cooked fish-we are not helping the oceans as we have to. And my fish are ceramic and they have to go to the kiln. So that is why it’s called cooked fish.

What is one of the main things as ceramic artists we can do to help protect our planet our oceans specifically?

Well, we can do a lot of things. We have the power. Sometimes it is more difficult to start this change. We can do whatever, just say no to plastic. There are now many opportunities to buy things without plastic. There’s a lot you can do, you can feel that it’s not so much but really for the planet it’s a lot because if you count how many people we are in this world, we are a lot. So if one can make a change many will be next to that person too so I think that it is possible. We have to start. On my cups I write Less plastic and more fishes. I try to do something.  Sometimes it is better to do something little than nothing.

You told me off the air that you do something while your husband is surfing because surfing isn’t so good for you, tell me what it is you do while he surfs?

When I am waiting for him I spend all my time taking all this garbage that people throw….sometimes people don’t throw the garbage into the sea, sometimes it comes from other countries. I found bottles coming from China, I don’t know how. There’s a lot of things you can do. And people go to the sea and they bring the shells, it’s better just to bring the trash and the plastic that you find. It’s easier. And the shells have to be at the sea so please try not to bring them home.

One other thing I know you do is repurpose it. So not only do you do ceramic arts but you also do trash art. Correct?

Yes, and sometimes I mix them. Maybe on Instagram you can find a piece I made with ceramic and I put some garbage in the fish, as scales.

How can one person really make a difference in this world?

Just wanting it. You can do it. It is just starting. Sometimes you feel that people aren’t looking at what you are doing, but there are kids looking at you or even your friends. In the beginning it was funny because all of our family, when people were coming to our house, they would try to not bring plastic or try the less plastic when they can. At the beginning it was difficult because people were like, Okay, we will have to bring the bread without the bag or things like that. But it’s funny because now people are doing all these little things at home. When we do a party we say, Please try to bring your glass and plate because we will not buy any plastic things to take your food. Those are just little details but the thing is-do it.

What does a ceramic artist and marine biologist do for fun?

Scuba diving. (laughter) Yup, that is the most wonderful thing we can do together. It’s magical. When you go to the sea, just look on the water and it’s nice, but you discover under the water all the life, all the colors. It’s difficult to explain it. So that is why I say we have to do things, we can ‘t just let people do whatever. We have to take good care.

Contact

Instagram: @pez_cocinado