Photography by Pistor Orendain

spawn is a ritual-performance commissioned by Clockshop set along the inclined riverbanks of the Los Angeles River, Paayme Paxaayt on July 2026. It aims to offer alternatives to our dominant water imaginaries and to build a closer relationship between water and people. Through choreographies of movement and sound, Gutierrez draws attention to the interconnectedness of bodies, both human and nonhuman, and the river’s historic and present ecologies. Framed as a ritual-performance, the work honors the Pacific lamprey, an ancient fish once abundant in the river, now locally extinct due to the pressures of urban development. The performance was accompanied by a soundscape by artist Eva Aguila.

Gutiérrez honors and adopts the form of the Pacific lamprey and invited the audience to take part in this special ritual to help guide her eggs into the channel. The ritual garment used in the performance is dyed with Palo de Brasil (Paubrasilia echinata), a traditional medicinal plant found in Mexico and throughout Central and South America. This dye acts as a natural pH indicator, changing color when it comes into contact with water.

Garment design in collaboration with Alejandra de Zulueta.

Photography by Rio Asch Phoenix