Ofrenda
C. Nuñez | August 2022 | Umécuaro
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Prior to joining the workshop in Umécuaro, I knew I wanted to do something for the earth. I saw this as an opportunity to materialize a message shaping internally for months now. I did not want to create something purely for human consumption. I also knew I wasn’t going to fully realize or discover what the thing would be until I was onsite.
The atmosphere of Umécuaro was very stimulating. I felt comfortable from the beginning and seeing work from previous land art residencies coexisting harmoniously with the environment blew me away. The work was honest and unforced just like its surroundings.
Umécuaro still feels so pristine - it does not need to be restored yet, so I decided to make a type of offering, an “ofrenda” centered around a tree overlooking the lake.
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The 3 elements of Ofrenda:
The first element is a birdbath made of found materials and raw clay. I enjoyed making this piece, it was also my first time working with clay. I left the clay unfired so that with time, the birdbath would disintegrate back into the earth. The impermanence of it all was nice.
The second element is a study in formal analysis. I believe that beauty is a requirement for all creators - it’s very much a tool in addition to being an important skill to develop and nurture in order to be a complete creator.
I wanted to explore forms and play with scale using the natural cavities and indentations of local stones. The best way to achieve this was to form small landscapes on each of the stones using paint/mud made with local earth. The stones were then placed poetically around the base of the tree, to feel as if they’ve always been there. I added clay spheres to sit in the branches and with that addition, the tree felt whole, like a sculptural entity.
The third element is a “seed dispersal”. A hollow unfired clay sphere hangs from a painted branch mounted to the tree trunk. The sphere holds seeds which will eventually drop into the land below as the clay disintegrates over time. While working on this particular element, I relied not only on my own intuition but also on some of the typologies found in the works of both Kees & Carmen. I find their method of painting with local earth to create patterns and textures harmonious with the land inspiring.
I love the notion of other people’s ideas causing a ripple in your own work. I say ripple instead of reference, for example, because a ripple infers a physical gathering of more than one person and can only be achieved because you were there with me. I think that’s nice.
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Words: C. Nuñez
Edits: Dasom Choe
Photos: Hisako Tanaka
