Agave

Installation-Performance-Publication

(Project in Progress)

Below, Conjurer les épistémicides : Agave (2023).

Variable dimensions, woven henequen fibre, bamboo stalks, 20 varieties of aromatic plants. LED lights, video.

With this project—and without metaphorical intent—we aim to weave together the fragmented knowledge of agaves. We recall that before the production of petroleum-derived fibers, agaves were a kind of fibrous gold used for making rope during the Industrial Revolution and World War I. This was before the agave became a globalized plant, taken from the hands of the weavers of Meso-Abya Yala.

Agave, the tree of wonders, of sacred pulque, of soft and resistant fiber, thriving in dry, sun-soaked soil.

In 2023, we launched this project as a conjuration against the epistemicides and ecocides of agaves. We participated in the El Aleph festival at the invitation of curator Tania Aedo, the Cátedra de Arte y Tecnología Max Aub, and the Cátedra de Danza Gloria Contreras.

An extraordinary group of people contributed to this process. We dedicated ten days to research and experimentation in the dance hall, the botanical gardens of UNAM and Chapultepec, the pulquerías of Mexico City, and the agavera cuisine of a ranch in Hidalgo. We were joined by Dr. Mariana Vallejo, whose research focuses on spaces of human interaction with environments that maintain high levels of biodiversity, with the plant world as the primary indicator, and Dr. Abisai García, curator of the agave collection at the UNAM botanical garden and one of the world's leading agave specialists.

We remember the wars against henequen and the enslavement of the Yucatecan Mayans in the haciendas where the ropes were produced. We acknowledge the worldwide passion for tequila and mezcal, and the consequent loss of genetic biodiversity in agaves. The production of these drinks necessitates the implementation of monoculture, preventing plants from flowering and coexisting with other plants, microorganisms, bats, and other pollinators.

Scientific collaboration: UNAM Botanical Garden, Dr Abisai Josue García Mendoza, Dr Mariana Vallejo Ramos
Music: Aura Arreola.
Performance: Melissa Aguilar, Tania Aedo, Aura Arreola, Uryan Lózano, Mónica Malinaly Puente, Maria Herrador, Erick Ricardo Jáuregui Sánchez, Teresa Núñez-Fortoul, Maria Sánchez Martinez, Sofía Megumi Juárez Patatuchi, Daniel Herrera.
Production: Festival el Aleph-Unam Cátedra Max Aub & Cátedra Gloria Contreras.
Producer: Finella Halligan. In 2024, Camille Olympie joined the project as general assistant, video post-producer, and motion designer.

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