“The fuming dewdrops from the flowers in the fields intoxicate my soul.
I grieve to myself that ever this dwelling on earth should end.”
– from “Song” by Nezahualcóyotl (1431-72)
480 Ma: Lago de Texcoco, Memphis, Fresh Kills (2020) begins with the shape of earth’s land mass 480 million years ago. This landmass, which looks slightly similar to the shape of Staten Island itself, sets off a series of poetic explorations and metaphors. Weaving histories of garbage, waste, and refuse with the history of people of color in America from the arrival of the first European settlers up unto the present. This visual exploration is held together through the artist’s own history and narrative which relates to his family’s experience living along the Mexican-American border.
This project is part of The Same Sun / Calendar, an ongoing series of videos, photos, and artists made calendars that weave together various personal and historical sites on tectonic maps ranging from 350 to 65 million years ago. By juxtaposing various disparate sites throughout vast amounts of time and space, we are led to re-experience a non-linear history of the western world through an unexpected lens. This is a calendar that suggests we inhabit a fluid world interconnected through time and space via persistent visual forms and motifs.
nb. 480 Ma is currently in development, due to the Covid-19 pandemic the completion of the work has been rescheduled for 2022. Additionally, the project proposal included the creation of markers on the mounds of Freshkills Park, which correlate to the sites introduced in 480 Ma.
