Biography
I was born and raised in Mexico City in a middle class family, but right on the edge between the somewhat wealthy neighborhoods and the not so privileged ones of the area; thus I had friends from both ends. I studied photography in the best private school of photography in Mexico at the time (Escuela Activa de Fotografia) Since very young I knew that city was not for me. However, life was not easy, and my dream of flying away did not consolidate until I was 25, when I got a cheap ticket to go to Europe. Once in "The Old Continent" found a way to survive. I had to learn a new language and meet people. From Europe I was able to travel to Asia a few times, mostly to Nepal, but spent some time in India and Thailand, too. Nepal is still my favorite place of all, and part of my heart remains in Ticino, the beautiful Italian part of Switzerland, and another part in Hawaii, where I also lived for over one year. I also lived in Finland and England for short periods of time. Since 2002 I moved to Colorado and I just cannot get enough of it yet!
Here in Colorado I attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, from where I graduated with a Bachelor degree on Studio Arts with emphasis on film studies and video production. Right after that I enrolled in the University of Denver, from where I obtained a Masters on Fine Arts on Electronic Arts.
As a hobby, I enjoy trail running, climbing, and mountaineering, and I also organize climbing trips to the Mexican volcanoes and Nepal.
The only way to achieve peace and true freedom
In a world full of fear and hatred, nothing is more important than to remain conscious that loving one-another is the only way to achieve peace and true freedom in this planet, and to save it from an imminent destruction. By loving one-another I mean loving not only our fellow humans, but also the animals, the plants, and the environment in which we live. We must respect the earth and all of its elements. War generates more war, and terrorism cannot be stopped with terrorism.
ALEXANDRO ROJAS-SANDERS
alex.rojas.sanders@gmail.com
www.alexandrosanders.com
720.352.9406
Curriculum Vitae Extensive (PDF)
EDUCATION
University of Denver, Masters on Fine Arts / Electronic Media Art. Graduation 2009
University of Colorado at Boulder, Bachelor of Fine Arts Studio Arts (BASA) with emphasis on video production and film studies; Boulder, CO. 2005- 2007
Regis University, Bachelor program with major on Business Administration; Boulder, CO. 2003-2004
Escuela Activa de Fotografîa (Active School of Photography), Technical degree in Photography with emphasized certificate on Photojournalism. Mexico City, 1996
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico–Escuela de Montañismo, (Mountaineering school) Levels basic, intermediate, and advanced. Mexico City, 1993-1997
Escuela del Socorro Alpino de Mèxico, (Wilderness First Response and Rescue school). Mexico City, 1991-1993
Selected Awards & Grants
Graduate Art Student Scholarship, University of Denver, Scholar year 2007- 2008
Top of the Class scholarship, Partial scholarship offered by the Escuela Activa de Fotografia, 1996
Top of the Class scholarship, Partial scholarship offered by the Escuela Activa de Fotografia, 1995
WORK EXPERIENCE
Watershed School, Instructor for a video production intensive course for 11th grade students. Boulder CO, Spring 2010
Serac Adventure Films, Video editor, videographer (DP), sound, assist on office duties, participated on the Serac Adventure Film School on adventure trips. Boulder CO, Winter – Summer 2010
Terraviva Productions, Production of Video and Photography, film transcripts, translations to and from Spanish, English and Italian, subtitling, and DVD authoring
Clients include: The Women’s College of DU, Adventure Film Festival, Ovo Films, Bogdanova Dance, and the Denver Art Museum (Performance event “Farouche”). Denver CO, 2005 – Present
NIKE, Product Tester for running and trail-running shoes, since 2005 – present
The Outdoor Cinema Network, Audiovisual technician. Summer 2009 – Present
The Women’s College of the University of Denver, Photographer/Digital Media Assistant for the marketing department. July 2009 – November 2009
University of Denver, Equipment Manager, Art & Art History Department, September 2008 – May 2009
OVO Films, Production Assistant / Camera, Staff member since January 2007 (currently collaborating) Denver, CO
Boulder Adventure Film Festival (BAFF) 2008, Audiovisual technician, November 2008, Boulder, CO
Digital Media Communications, Video Editor, January 2008 – September 2008, Denver, CO
Life Touch Photography, Photographer for the Sports Section, August 2007 - January 2008; Denver, CO
Norlin Library, Digital Initiatives, Digital Projects Assistant, University Libraries, University of Colorado at Boulder, May 2006 - August 2007
Adventure Expediciones, Mountain guide and experiential teamwork leader / ropes course instructor, Mexico City, June 2000 - Oct 2001
Il Vagamondo, Sales representative at a Mountaineering and Ski gear store “Il Vagamondo”, Bellinzona, Switzerland, September 1998 - Feb 1999
VISOR (Photo-library), Operations Manager and Sales representative, Mexico City, April 1997- May 1998
Pumas al Monte Everest, Official photographer for the first Mexican Expedition to Mt. Everest on a preparatory expedition to Cordillera Blanca; Peru-Mexico, July- August 1996
Biblioteca Internacional de Fotografia (International Library of Photography), Archives assistance/Photojournalist, Mexico City, April 1996- April 1997
EXHIBITIONS (*Solo exhibitions)
*Decoding Secrets from White Giants, A one-channel video installation commenting about the common ground between glaciers and electronic art. This piece was the culmination of my MFA degree from the University of Denver. Object and Thought Gallery, Denver, CO (2009)
The Mural Conservation Project, Collaboration with the Theatre Department at DU. Multimedia art exhibition. University of Denver, CO (2009)
Foto.Synthesis Social Justice Film Festival, One of These Days, a 30-seconds film about the desertification of the planet as a consequence of unsustainable lifestyle practiced by humans. University of Arizona, AZ (2009)
New Media Salon: To Amuse & To Refine, Object + Thought Gallery, Denver, CO. (2009)
*MELT, an exhibition about climate change in relation to Capitalism, Gallery 023, University of Denver, Denver, CO (2008)
Juried Student / Alumni Exhibition [from the Stop Any Time series], Victoria H. Myhren Gallery, University of Denver, Denver, CO. (2008)
*Please Madam, (Silver over gelatin) Special Collections at the Norlin Library, University of Colorado at Boulder, acquired original print from my private collection. Boulder, CO. (2007)
*Stop Any Time, Shinning Star Café, Nederland, CO. (2007)
Open Wall, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder, CO. (2007)
Painting in Motion, Sibell Wolle Fine Arts building, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder CO. (2007)
*Mountain Lights (Slide show), Neptune Mountaineering, Boulder CO. (2005)
*Mountain Lights, Alice’s Restaurant, Gold Lake Ventures, Ward CO. (2004-2006)
Tibetan Garden, Permanent garden integrating traditional cultural symbols to create medicinal plant beds for the sustainability of Tibetan Medicine at risk of extinction in Solu Khumbu, Nepal (Everest area). (2002)
*Mi Gran Tour, El Taller Gallery, Mexico City. (2000)
Collective Exhibition, Escuela Activa de Fotografia, Mexico City. (1996)
Community Service
Stedman’s Family Art Night, Lecturer at Stedman Elementary School. An introduction to Photography. Denver, CO. (2009)
Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF), Audio/Video Tech, Boulder, CO. (2009)
Independent English Teacher, for a small group of Tibetan and Sherpa people; Namche Bazaar, Solu Khumbu, Nepal, 2002
Sacred Lands Initiative / Herbal Himalayan Center, Namche Bazaar, Solu Khumbu, Nepal, 2002: Conceptual Designer of a high altitude medicinal garden for rare and endangered medicinal plants of the Himalaya
Hawaiian Traditional “Taro” Cultivation Project, Oahu, June 2001 - Aug 2001, Cultivation and harvesting of Taro –a Hawaiian plant
University of Yeovil, England: Environmental project. Cleaning Day of the Wilderness, 1998
University of Bern, Switzerland: Graduate student assistant for a field lab on a soil erosion research project, 1998
Socorro Alpino de Mexico (Alpine rescue team), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) 1991–1993. Participated on many high-altitude rescues in the Mexican volcanoes, as well as in a major disaster in the city of Guadalajara, Mexico in 1993.
INTERNSHIPS
Boulder Adventure Film Festival, Marketing & Jury, Boulder, CO (2007)
Sender Films/ Reel Rock Tour, Film Internship, marketing, post-production, Boulder, CO (2006)
Ovo Films, Production of corporate videos, Denver, CO (2007)
PUBLISHED & SELECTED ARTICLES
Mixed Media –The Newsletter for the School of Art and Art History at DU, Winter 2007, “DU ART! Scholarship Recipient”, Featured Interview.
Aventura Vertical, Num.17, Sep. 2000, Editorial Aventura Vertical, Mexico City
Generacion, Num.6, Year VIII, March - April, 1996, Editorial “Ediciones Era”, Mexico City
Gaceta UNAM, Num. 3042, Sep.1996, “En el Deporte”, by Sergio Carrillo. Article about our expedition to the Peruvian Andes in preparation to Mount Everest
LANGUAGES
Spanish (native language), English (fluent: written and spoken), Italian (fluent: spoken)
SKILLS
DSLR Still Photography: Canon and Nikon
HD Camera Operator: Panasonic HVX 200, Sony Z1U, Sony EX1
Technical Software Proficiency: Final Cut Pro, Avid Liquid, Premier Pro, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Flash, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Dream Weaver, Acid, Sound Forge, Audacity
Languages:Spanish (native language), English (written and spoken), Italian (spoken)
Athlete: Product tester of alpine trail running shoes for NIKE / High altitude mountaineer with a first solo winter ascent to the s-sw face of Imja Tse Peak in the Himalayas, other peaks in the Himalayas, the Alps, the Andes, and hundreds of ascents through different routes to the Mexican volcanoes as a guide, as a rescuer, and recreational.
Artist Statement
There are two major focal points for my art; first and foremost I focus on glaciers, for these under-looked natural wonders are the best signs of climate change, which is now mostly affected by human activities. I have spent more than half my life doing mountaineering and I have seen first hand the rapid deterioration of these beautiful icy features that are of so much importance to life in the planet. Second, I want to create awareness of the circumstances in which a vast portion of the world’s population lives in, while a minimal fraction of people maintains a deliberate consumerist lifestyle. After all, such type of lifestyle has been created on an unsustainable model; same that contributes to create the first condition –climate change— By means of electronic media (digital photography, video, sound, and lighting) I try to create a body of work that illustrates and criticizes this characteristic trend that modern society pursues. I believe that, by making a radical change in the way humans live and interact with the natural resources, and by embracing multicultural awareness and respect, we can restore the planet, and that is my ultimate goal as an artist.
Currently I am working with digital and electronic media to create immersive environments that represent the different layers of annual snow accumulation that compose any glacier. I use multi-channel video projections as the main element to construct such environments, but other elements, such as digitally recorded sound of wind and glacial-motion, as well as textiles are also employed in the creation of these installations.
Another area of my work is concerned with the effects of high altitude on the human body and the physical characteristics of high altitude mountaineering, such as repetition of movements, endurance, exhaustion, and delirium, which may be caused by oxygen depravation and/or exhaustion, hypothermia, hunger, and thirst.
Download Artist Statement (pdf)
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy is also my philosophy of life. I believe that everybody has an Everest to climb in life, and that Everest is the purpose of our existence in this planet. By facilitating others (the apprentice or student) to find their Everest in life I contribute to the bigger climb that we, as the human race, have ahead of us.
Mountains demand from men and women, first of all, a strong desire that drives them and inspires them to simply dare to climb them. Then, they demand other qualities, such as courage, strength, patience, perseverance, and lots of preparation, physical, mental, and technical. But they also demand humility, acceptance, and respect for life of all sorts, and for the environment. Living in society is exactly like that.
As a teacher, I like to approach every interaction with the student as if s/he were a climbing partner that has the same ambition to get to the summit just like myself, but as someone who is ahead on the climb I like to give direction, motivation, and the tools at reach to guide the student safely and rapidly to that summit.