Mountains and bears
Mountains and Bears tells the story of Duverney, a former combatant of the FARC (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia).
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The story traces his journey from growing up amid social inequity and joining the guerrilla movement in pursuit of political change through violence, to realizing that true transformation could come from leadership and education instead. Today, Duverney works to create the opportunities he lacked as a young man, the very absence of which he believes led him to take up arms.
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Through this project, I sought to explore how the complexity of a single life story can reveal broader truths about social issues, in this case, in the Colombian armed conflict.
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Using the Narrative Conversations methodology, I met with Duverney over several months to reflect on his experiences. After each conversation, I created a set of cards combining short texts and collages to interpret his stories visually. These cards were used, in turn, to trigger future reflections with him. The final narrative unfolds through a sequence of 24 cards, forming a visual and conversational portrait of his transformation.
Collage • Armed Conflict • Design as Conversation
Colombia
Stories in Collage
The collages weave together images of mountains, plants, and animals that evoke rural life in Colombia. At the center of the story is Duverney, represented by a spectacled bear, an animal he identified with after seeing them during his time in the Farc. From Duverney's perspective, the bear, often feared but not dangerous, mirrors his transformation and the nuances of his story.
process highlights
Conversational Encounters
I met regularly with Duverney through video calls to talk about his life and experiences as he transitioned from being a member of the Farc to becoming a social leader in his community. These conversations helped me understand the nuances of his story and informed the development of the visual narrative.
Iterative Collage-Making
I created several versions of the collages as the conversations evolved and my understanding of Duverney’s experiences deepened. Sharing the collages with him became an extension of the dialogue, each image sparked new memories and interpretations that guided further iterations. Over time, I moved from literal depictions of war (e.g. weapons and explosions) to more metaphorical imagery drawn from nature, using symbols to capture the emotional and moral complexity of his journey.
Articulating the Narrative
The final stage involved weaving the individual collages and story fragments into a cohesive narrative arc. This structure shows moments of conflict, reflection, and transformation, connecting personal experiences to the wider social and historical context of Colombia’s armed conflict.