Mitote and Ollin

A collection of ceramic instruments which Vica Pacheco produced at the EKWC form the basis for two new works: the kinetic installation Mitote and the dance performance Ollin created with Siet Phorae, Francesca Mariano and Fernanda Soberón. The word mitote comes from Nahuatl mitotiqui ‘dancing’ and from itotia ‘to dance’. Mitote is a term from contemporary Mexican popular culture used to designate a riot or a party. Earlier the term was associated with a Mayan creation myth. In Mitote the artist conceived a kinetic sculpture to which she refers as the Bionic Mangrove, where zoomorphic creatures emit their songs thanks to the energy of the components of this tree. In the performance Ollin, meaning ‘constant movement’ in Nahuatl, the movement of the vessels and their sounds is generated by the bodies of three dancers in combination with the Bionic Mangrove. With this encounter Vica seeks to produce a ritual in which minimalist and repetitive movements and sounds transport the listener towards an expanded state of consciousness.

Mitote and Ollin are commissioned by iii in collaboration with Rewire, Amare, Overtoon, STUK and iMal.