Installation (300s.f)

1,800 pounds of fresh sugar cane, 50 gallons of water, 4 over-sized tractor inner tubes wrapped in burlap and rope.

Continuous Sound Loop of water lapping.

 

In search of memories of my family’s past, Perdida was the result of an exploration of the artist’s Cuban heritage. When entering the installation, you are forced to walk on top of the freshly-cut sugar cane that has been carefully sewed together with twine. It feels sturdy yet unstable, and as you cross-over into the space, you become aware of your own footsteps, emphasizing the thought of a passage. As you then look into the center of the inner tubes, you realize that they are containing water, contradicting their usual function as floatation devises.

 

Hundreds of images and documents are submerged in the water. Family photographs, diplomas, letters, and advertisements are just a few of the types of items you will find here. These precious memories have been discarded as if they no longer have any importance. You are invited to submerge your own hands into the water and fish out the memories the same way the artist metaphorically had to. The sound of water is continuously heard adding an eerie feeling to the piece. Symbolically water is the distance between the place with these memories and where the artist stands; but sadly, many of these memories have been washed away, and those lives and that place no longer exists