What does a line of coke really cost?

With Ritmo Vital, Samantha Moon Julca and Sandra Zegarra Patow trace the hidden lines between Rotterdam’s dance floors and the Amazon in Peru. In Peru, indigenous communities and rainforests are devastated by the cocaine trade; in Rotterdam, young people get caught up as “uithalers” or street-level couriers.

In collaboration with communities in Peru, they collect stories and footage of the ecological destruction and social disruption caused by the drug economy. This material will be translated into a 3D VR installation, presented inside Rotterdam’s nightlife—at clubs, festivals, and venues where coke is often consumed without a second thought. Ritmo Vital confronts partygoers with the unseen consequences of the “party sniff”—not by moralising it, but through rhythm, image, and shared experience.

The makers
Samantha Moon Julca and Sandra Zegarra Patow are artists working at the intersection of art, activism, and research. Through their joint practice, they create interdisciplinary projects that merge ecology, migration, and social justice. Based between Rotterdam and Peru, they use their dual perspective to surface stories that usually remain hidden.