XIPE TOTEC PUNK II

Sculptures created from edible materials to be consumed by the audience during the performance. The events evoke collective anthropophagic rituals, recreating the ancient traditions of the Pre-Colombian sacrifices, eliciting a reflection on consumerism and the economic crisis of today. Using a highly inventive and amusing language, the artist devises allegorical discourses during the feeding rituals; conceptual and metaphoric layers contained in the act of eating, translating the politics of food into a humor that’s pleasing to the palate.

In Aztec mythology, Xipe Totec or "Our Lord, the Flayed" was a deity of life-death-rebirth, god of youth, agriculture, vegetation and abundance, patron of gold and silversmiths, and symbol of fertility and love. According to legend, Xipe Totec skinned himself to feed humanity, a symbol of how the corn seed drops its exterior layer to germinate, or how snakes shed their skin. Deity revered in central Mexico at the time of the Spanish conquest, Xipe Totec was known throughout most of Mesoamerica. The bodies of the sacrificed were skinned and the priests performed a ritual dance of rebirth, draping themselves with the skin of the sacrificed.

This performance piece aims to recreate this sacrifice through two individuals dressed in suits made of strips of serrano ham, which are offered to the audience to eat at the end of the performance.

Performers: Yasmina Reggad and Adrian Fisher
Sound Art: Guillermo Galindo
A Cyber-Totemic object made from corn was used
Violinist: Charlotte Hug

Delfina Foundation
London, England
March 13, 2015

http://delfinafoundation.com/