The ritual of human sacrifice was a very widespread practice in Mesoamerica. In the Mexica society, it was embedded in the belief of Tezcatlipoca ––creator of the earth, the sky, and the inferior world, always invisible and simultaneously present at all times. During the period of heat and drought, when the lack of water and excess sun could carry fear among the population, a young man was selected to be sacrificed. The ritual consisted of cutting his heart out with an obsidian spearhead.
Echoing the ritual impulse, Obsidian Pulse is a video installation comprised of a series of heart-shaped sculptures disposed of in a digital underworld of sorts.
Echoing the ritual impulse, Obsidian Pulse is a video installation comprised of a series of heart-shaped sculptures disposed of in a digital underworld of sorts.
2019
The relationship between the stone and the three-dimensional digital world aims to open up a space where a contemporary world collides with a mythical ritual. The hearts turned into stone seem also to beat, linger and change their shape. The video aims to shed light upon antique processes and rituals that became strange and unnatural after colonization but that, when created, contain the potentiality of something as magical as changing the weather.
Made in collaboration with Julieta Gil
Video x Julieta Gil
Sound x Sofia Acosta
Made in collaboration with Julieta Gil
Video x Julieta Gil
Sound x Sofia Acosta