Un País Olvidado — Mitología & Identidad Perdida

Forgotten Country — Mythology & Lost Identity 

Proposal  by  Alejandra Abad 

Themes: Postcolonialism, Metamodernism, Diaspora, Fragmented Identity, Folklore &  Mythology, Magical Realism, Cautionary Tale, Non-linearity, Petrostate, Political Turmoil, Extraction, Semiotics, Imagined future

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Thesis Proposal 2020 – Alejandra Abad

FORM
https://alejandraabad.com/nuestra-mitologia/

Mythical Creatures

The project will present a new mythology, and a sentiment of hope, for the Venezuelan diaspora to carry in new places; the interviewees are co-creators of this new mythology. I will create a primary monster that is made of crude oil, who has the power to absorb everyone into itself; this acts as a metaphor for the corrupt and centralized power of the authoritarian government. This monster splits into other monsters, such as a black smog that covers the country, corrupting the natural elements as it goes (e.g. water, earth, wind, fire lead to the production of petroleum, which in turn corrupts natural elements).

Audio clip from interviwee playing the trumpet 

Fragmentation &
a metaphor to an Exquisite Corpse

The exhibition will be set up as narrative fragments, so that people could have an open and nonlinear experience of animations and the sculptural elements. I will be projecting video onto artifacts and materials; for example, for the petroleum monster I plan to project onto a fluidized bed with sand. The petroleum monster would belch, and we would be able to see the corruption of the elements of earth and water. 

Dr. Hertzberg will mentor me on this process in December.

I am interested in capturing a bubbling movement to use as video art or project into.

Material for textures and collage

Hallacas

Harina de Pan

Hojas de Platano

Onoto 

I will find the etymology of places and foods (for example, the arepa – a type of corn dumpling – is of indigenous origin).
Topics to explore include memories of home.