Aunties

The project deals with the reconstruction of  remembrance as a form of a live A/V  performance, where testimonials act as a catalyst of personal events. The stories come from two sisters from Chicago, who share their rchildhood memories as well as  personal opinions about their relationship as siblings. The video montage shows the intimate spaces from two sisters household in Mexico City.

The script focuses on personal stories, which emphasize gender traditions implicit in catholic believes. The project takes in consideration the stories of four women located in two different contexts, Mexico City and Chicago. These two narratives highlight the idiosyncrasy of middle class catholic women, shown in their oral histories and visible in the spaces where they inhabit. The video and the voice over montage seeks to link metaphors of the house as an extension of the mind and gender.

The video performance is highly influenced by Bertolt Brecht’s alienation effect, described in the Epic Theater theories.  The purpose is to allow a critical distance for observation of the character-construction process… “In this way his performance becomes a discussion (about social conditions) with the audience he is addressing. He prompts the spectator to justify or abolish these conditions according to what class he belongs to”.

This project was directed by Amanda Gutierrez, sound made by Anthony Janas, performance by Erika Dellenbach and Stephanie Colunga.

Presented at:

Red Rover Series in Outer Space Gallery, Chicago Illinois

Recall Show at High Concept Laboratories in Mana Contemporary

Here is a photo gallery of the event at HCL.

This project was supported by the grant FONCA/CONACULTA, Sistema Nacional de Creadores del Arte from Mexico Arts Council.