ORÍGENES / ORIGINES (2005)

The installation project entitled Origins was developed as a result of a personal inquiry into the nature of our relationship with prehistoric animals. It was inspired by a visit to the Burgess Shale in Alberta. The Burgess Shale contains fossils belonging to the Cambrian era (544 million years ago), which have gradually resurfaced to the crust of the Earth.  At the time such living organisms existed, the North American continent was tilted 90 degrees and was crossed horizontally by the Equator. Part of the continent was under sea level, and the conditions were such that it facilitated the evolution of the first land animals on our planet.  In more recent years, the movement of the tectonic plates and the erosion caused by glacial slides have allowed the pre-existing aquatic life to emerge to the surface.  In Yoho National Park scientists have identified aproximately 170 species of underwater life.

The group of fossils developed for this project are the ancestors of contemporary species such as sponges, snails, anthropods, mollusks and seaweed. They include animals such as Choia, Takakkawia, Taumptilon, Micromitra , Aysheaia, Allucigenia, Marella, Isoxys, Leancholia, Gogia, Chancelloria, and others, some of which are unique to this area.

I would like to give special thanks to the Mexican sculptor Elsa Naveda, from Xalapa, whose generous technical assistance made possible the production of the ceramic pieces for the installation.  I am also thankful to Mr. Ravael Villar, director of the Garden of Sculptures of Xalapa, for giving me the opportunity  to contribute to the cultural heritage of such a beautiful city.

INSTALLATION – Garden of Sculptures of Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico