The Enea Project (2019) consisted of a series of workshops dedicated to learning about the cattail plant, Typha domingensis , and working with it to create handcrafted products. Primarily residents of the communities surrounding the Martin Pena Canal were invited to participate, and they were encouraged to explore the economic viability of a plant so closely related to their environment.
The workshops were led by artist Jomary Ortega and Malcom Ferrer, an artist and resident of the Las Monjas neighborhood. They began by identifying the habitat of the cattail (Ena bulrush), followed by its harvesting and drying. The cattail was then re-moistened before being manipulated, working with both fine and coarse threads using various weaving techniques: needlework, braiding, and interlacing warp and weft.
This plant, although considered a pest, also has positive uses, such as oxygenating and filtering greywater, and its use in crafting various artisanal products. The artist's intention was to share knowledge about its cultivation, inspire the creation of products that can then be sold at the Barrio Obrero Market, for example, and, through its continued use and harvesting, mitigate the problem it can cause by obstructing water flow in some bodies of water within the Estuary basin. The workshop participants were of varying ages, all very curious about the plant and eager to share stories about the Barrio Obrero neighborhood and the Martín Peña Canal.
“The exchange of knowledge that took place with people of different ages was an enriching experience.” Jomary Ortega
Jomary Ortega was born on November 9, 1980. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, in 2003, and later obtained her Master of Arts degree in Artistic Production from the Polytechnic University of Valencia in 2010. She currently works with natural fibers, textiles, assemblage, painting, and drawing.
