Year
2011
country of production
Argentina
credits
Alexandra Gelis
kind of work
Interactive Sound
Mate: Una conversación con Roberto / Mate: a conversation with Roberto
MATE is an interactive sound piece that uses electronic components to parallel and intervene the intricate utensils used in the ritual of Mate drinking.
The Mate is consumed and shared by many in a type of tea ceremony, using one metal straw and a calabash gourd. The straw is called a bombilla. The gourd is also known as a mate. The water used for the drink keeps warm in a thermos. The yerba mate is kept in another container, traditionally made out of the calbash gourd.Mate is a traditional South American herb, particularly used in Argentina and Uruguay.
The drinking on Mate is a ritualistic social activity, in which people pass the gourd around while talking. My version of the interactive Mate has a function to reproduce the conversations and sounds produced during the mate ritual. The slurping sound while drinking the mate as well as the conversations produced during this ceremony is recorded and amplified through the interactive board and utensils.
Pieza sonora interactiva que interviene con componentes electrónicos y sonoros los utensilios utilizados en la toma del mate: La bombilla, el porongo, el termo para el agua y el contenedor para guardar la hierba.Esta obra es producto de una residencia en la Galería – Lab La Cúpula, en Córdoba- Argentina, 2011.
La pieza se enfoca especificamente en la tradicion de la toma del mate tan tradicional en los paises del sur de América del Sur, la cual se celebra al rededor de la conversacion y el compartir la infusión de hierba mate.
La mesa en la cual el mate esta montado, es un circuito electrónico y permite mezclar los sonidos capturados en tiempo real.
Mate obra funciona com instrumento para compartir el tiempo en grupo y generar conversación.
Made with collaborative technical assistance by Roberto Monguillot at La Cúpula Art Gallery / Media Lab – Córdoba Argentina.
(Art Residency)