Mats in Motion

Mats in Motion is a three screen video and sound installation. It shows three super 8mm film projections and ambisonic soundscapes of Palenque. The project is an extension of Estera (Mat) and includes the two screen Super 8 film, and 10 different mats surrounded by an immersive surround sound. Looking for new plants and their memories in the town, we created 10 mats based on: plants to help lower fever, plants that good for colds, and plants that help frighten away bad energies and Zanganos (wicked male witches), among others. The sound of the installation gathers recordings of the conversations while making the mats, the different plants and their uses; it also  reflects the current political situation in the country and is full of stories of forced displacement. 

The installation entices the audience to listen to aural stories and to the smell fresh plants, a journey into the senses of Palenque.

While the multiple screen video installation project privileges human voices, I try to get inside the more-than-human forms of life in telling stories with the plants, by weaving with the plants, by including the smells, by inviting the audience to walk bare feet or sit on the Esteras.