2022-
glitter, photographs, candles, lavender, cempasúchil, cinnamon
As Queer people, we have often lived at the margins of society and have had to create our own culture and practices. Historically, Queer people have created space where there was none. During the 70s and 80s, we saw the proliferation of Queer culture, such as ballroom, Queer language, and even mourning rituals. I became particularly interested in Queer mourning rituals, as this suggested some kind of Queer practice or spirituality. Inspired by Ephemera as Evidence by José Esteban Muñoz, Altares Ancestrales incorporates aspects of Venezuelan spiritual practice with Queer archival and mourning practices to imagine what a Queer centered practice can look like. How can we as Queer people honor our ancestors? How can we petition them for guidance? What does Queer as practice look like?
untitled (Altar Ancestral V)
Documentation of the activation of Altar Ancestral V. Two Drag performers based out of Brooklyn (MAUVE and Evangeline) were interviewed about the role of Drag in Queer spaces. The interview was then cut up into a sound piece that incorporated traditional music used in syncretic practices across Latin America and a song by a famous Drag performer (Valentina). For the installation, I responded to the interviews and created an altar honoring those mentioned in our conversation. The activation was the performance of the ritual. The ritual incorporates elements found traditionally in syncretic practices in Latin America as well as veneration practices found in Queer communities, such as a Drag number. The audio and the performance serve as a record of this oral history and a transmission of Queer ancestral knowledge.
Songs included: Las Tres Potencies by Celina y Reutilio and A Prueba De Todo by Valentina [I do not own the rights to these songs]
Thank you to my sound engineer, Tara Britt, for helping me realize this sound piece.
Thank you to the ancestors for everything.