H20Cuerpo at the University Museum
del Chopo & El Aleph
2020 Poplar
INTRO
ART IN THE TIME OF COVID
Distance creation project
at the Museo Universitario del Chopo
H20Cuerpo was planned as a face-to-face project at the Museo del Chopo in Mexico City, however, with the arrival of the Coronavirus we had to adapt and innovate the creation process by converting it into a virtual one. These changes made it possible to involve geographically distant people in the project, who otherwise would not have been able to participate physically in the project.
The following video marks the opening of the project with an initial conversation between the artist-in-residence Tessa Nerys Hays-Nordin and Gabriel Yépez, coordinator of Living Arts at the Museo Universitario del Chopo.
Joani Glendale (from Victoria, BC, Canada) and Miss Knomia (from Phoenix, AZ. USA) began the process of creating H20Body by sharing a prayer and a blessing via video.
Joani Glendale composed a prayer, in her native language of Kwak'wala, for the lifeblood of the earth, the artists of the project and the future of clean water for our children. Miss Knomia offered a prayer that All Nations, All Relationships, in All The Earth and beyond be freed from bondage here and now.
PHOTO
Thanks to the Coronavirus, we had to innovate a process through the virtual to take the three photo-portraits of the primus gestu. We were six artists in three countries with three schedules in three landscapes and all in quarantine.
In collaboration, photographer and filmmaker Mara Arteaga in Mexico City, Mexico, and aesthetic stylist Andrea Mendez in Medellín, Colombia, managed to style, direct, frame and capture the original gestures of the body performers in their unique settings.
Diana Sanchez Rodriguez, Misha Arias De La Cantolla (both in different parts of Mexico City) and Tessa Nerys Hays-Nordin on Whidbey Island USA.
INVITATION
Open dialogue with the public through the account of Instagram of the Museo Universitario del Chopo to invite them to submit captions related to the 3 photos shared.
H20Cuerpo
We invite you to participate in this activity, to be a collaborator in the process of creation and final work.
We will respect the voice of each author who offers a title for action by including it exactly as written, preserving their voice through the use of capitalisation, lower case, punctuation, or lack thereof.
We ask for the name of the author of each title to recognise all H20Body contributors. All voices are welcome (children too), so take a look at the pictures and if you feel inspired, give them a title.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS
DO YOU KNOW ?
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS
DO YOU KNOW ?
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS
DO YOU KNOW ?
PROCESS
After three days of collecting captions for the three images shared on Instagram and Facebook, 9 captions were randomly selected for each image. The titles were transcribed in a specific colour for each performer, and in the exact form in which they were received, preserving the author's spelling, punctuation and grammar. This video shows the first improvisation of the performers discovering and interpreting 9 of the titles received.
GLASS
ISATION
Presentation of the H20Cuerpo final creative work.
Transmission through the aleph.
COLLABORATION
Mara Arteaga (Mexico City-1987) Visual artist focusing mainly on photography and ...
Diana Sánchez Rodríguez, BA in Performing Arts from the UDG, MA in Research and ...
Misha Arias de la Cantolla Graduate of El Foro Teatro Contemporáneo directed by director Ludwik ...
Andrea Mendez Vanegas Fashion designer, creator and founder of the brand MIDI ...
Aureliano Lecca Céspedes (Lima, Peru). Sound artist & musician / Sound designer ...
René Flores is the creator of the project "Boyante": Experimental, Post-Punk, World, ...
Miss Knomia. Mother of medicine. Visionary. Liberator. Gallant. Guardian ...
Tessa Hays-Nordin is a multidisciplinary artist, with a background in body theatre....