S59
16mm single-channel film installation silent, 11 min, loop
On production
On production
Synopsis
S59 explores the representation of knowledge systems beyond Western epistemology. For this project, three types of healing beliefs, described in colonial texts, including the manuscript “ The extirpation of idolatry in Peru” by the Jesuit Pablo Joseph de Arriaga (1621), have been investigated. As studio scenes, the film rehearses actions on these representations.
These healing beliefs include "mal de ojo," a disease brought to America from the West. According to this belief, a person can inflict damage just by looking at other living and inanimate beings. This ailment is often cured by "la limpia," a rebalancing procedure from indigenous American cultures that seeks to re-harmonize the person with their environment by eliminating the elements causing their illness.