This research endeavor highlights the complexity of environmental pollution, the exploitation of natural resources, and the interconnected factors that contribute to these issues. By examining the problem from multiple perspectives, it aims to encourage the audience to engage in self-reflective thinking about this pressing concern and the paradoxes surrounding it. The project’s purpose is to inspire critical self-reflection and the adoption of holistic approaches before taking external action.

Guatemala, known for its rich natural resources and cultural heritage, faces growing threats from environmental pollution. To understand this issue and the loss of responsibility toward nature, I embarked on an exploratory journey through the land of the Maya.

During my extended stay in Guatemala (2014/15) and later travels across Latin America, I was struck by the widespread use of plastic-packaged goods—particularly the consumption of potable water in small plastic bags, carelessly discarded in nature. This contradiction in such a fertile country deeply concerned me and led me to dedicate my time to this issue.

As a designer, though not an expert in the field, I questioned whether my skills could help unravel the complex relationship between human behavior and the declining sense of environmental responsibility worldwide. This documentary captures my search for answers within an unfamiliar and intricate cultural context.

Beyond its wealth of natural resources, Guatemala is rich in human potential. Through attentive listening, people not only shared valuable insights but also proposed brilliant ideas and innovative solutions to the many challenges their country faces.

Rather than following the typical Western approach of trying to "solve" someone else’s problem with yet another social design concept, I chose a more passive – but, in my view, the more respectful and necessary – approach: to provide a stage for those who truly understand and live with their reality where they are being listened to. Instead of imposing solutions, I sought to listen, reflect, and allow their perspectives to be heard.

Every person has a personal and unique perspective on a specific topic, issue and life in general. Since we will never experience exactly the same as another person does, we can only assume how life must be in somebody else’s shoes. In order to create a bridge of understanding and empathy, we’ve got to wrap it up in a narration. A story which transmits information in an understandable manner.