Efectos de familia (Family Effects,) 2007-9, was on display this summer at PS1, curated by Christopher L. Yew for its solo projects series. Edgardo Aragón's thirteen video sequences in the piece range from depicting acts of labor, endurance, and play to ritual, torment, and reenacted violence. Through short duration and unaffected actions the films casually portray biographical events surrounding Aragón's experience growing up in Oaxaca amidst drug violence and a suburban landscape. At the same time the narratives eloquently pass down a legacy of family history to his younger counterparts cast in the performances. We discussed in an interview his making of the films:
DM: Este ciclo de videos enfoca en actos blandos los cuales pasan por la narrativa como sucesos en un tablero. La realidad es que la narrativa es derivada de tus experencias familiares. ¿Como llegaste en el uso del video para conectarlos y hacer un puente entre ellos?
EA: El uso del video es una herramienta, me interesaba sobre todo la accion, el performance de los personajes, el video ayuda a registrar la obra de una forma mas clara que la fotografia por ejemplo, hay una narrativa dentro de cada uno de ellos, son secuencias que estan narrando varias historias, era impresindible recurrir a este medio porque de otra forma hubiera resultado complicado hacer la estructura de la obra.
DM: Este ritmo estructurado de los videos invita una lección sencilla de las escenas. Empiezan y terminan sin el movimiento de la camara. ¿Por qué recuentas las historias así?
EA: Cuando hice los videos pensaba en tres cosas como regla, algunos serían con camara fija, otros con camara en mano y en plano secuencia, sin cortes, esto devido a que me interesa no agregar un comentario mas o una reflexion más alla de lo que sucede dentro de las acciones, llevarlo a un plano más cinematografico habría entorpecido de algún modo la lectura, son episodios pequeños vistos más como una coreografía que como un guión. El referente en estos trabajos de camara fija tienen la referencia de Vito Aconcci en sus acciones de los 70. Los videos con camara en mano están realizados así porque son eventos de indole documental, es decir, estos recrean eventos del pasado entonces la diferencia esta marcada por el sequimineto o acompañamiento de la accion, en este cas o es importante marcar la diferencia entre esos dos aspectos, entre los que son invenciones y los que provienen de un hecho pasado verifacable.
DM: Unas de las escenas parecen tan abstractas que no ocurrirían exactamente. Pienso en la cual dos niños hacen un cuadro con espaldas por el suelo y tiran tierra al chavo en el medio. Tambien, en otra escena un niño vadea en una poza y se lava con jabón. ¿Hay elementos imaginarios que incluyes con la narrativa?
EA: Por supuesto, la imaginación es importante, hay que recordar que la niñez se caracteriza por eso, por inventar con nada un mundo alterno, esos videos a los que refieres son en realidad ritos, inventados específicamente para que ellos los entiendan y aprendan. En algunos hablo del trabajo como tal, en otros de la fuerza bruta masculia de la violencia, al mismo tiempo de la purificacion de esa misma violencia contenida o desatada, ellos segun la narrativa de la obra estan aprendiendo a ser hombres, por lo tanto están sometidos a aprender de una o de otra forma con sus propias reglas.
EA: Por supuesto, la imaginación es importante, hay que recordar que la niñez se caracteriza por eso, por inventar con nada un mundo alterno, esos videos a los que refieres son en realidad ritos, inventados específicamente para que ellos los entiendan y aprendan. En algunos hablo del trabajo como tal, en otros de la fuerza bruta masculia de la violencia, al mismo tiempo de la purificacion de esa misma violencia contenida o desatada, ellos segun la narrativa de la obra estan aprendiendo a ser hombres, por lo tanto están sometidos a aprender de una o de otra forma con sus propias reglas.
DM: Si no se ha leido sobre los videos por adelantado todavía sería facil imaginarse que estás escribiendo un programa dentro de esas escena con sus proprios sucesos particulares. Paracen ocurrir como performance art. ¿En tus pensamientos existen las actos como simbólos o más como la historia material?
EA: En efecto, el real fondo de la obra es performance art, es el objectivo inicial, así fue pensado el proyecto. El problema con la ejecución de los performances en vivo en alguna galeria o museo, radicaba en que no tendrís el contexto, el lugar que es donde yo jugaba cuando tenía esa edad. Pienso que la obra se comporta de una forma simbólica en su mayoria, hay algunos videos que no son tan simbólicos sino mas bien narrativos o metafóricos, es una combinación de muchas cosas, creo que si no están junto al menos tres de los videos la pieza carece un poco de sentido, es necesario que se acompañe de otros, es una narrativa que brinca de un capítulo a otro, como la novela Rayuela de Julio Cortazar, donde hay dos maneras de leerla una siguiendo la secuencia, y otra seguir un mapa que te guia por diferentes capítulos dentro del libro de modo que necesitas cada uno para entender la obra.
EA: En efecto, el real fondo de la obra es performance art, es el objectivo inicial, así fue pensado el proyecto. El problema con la ejecución de los performances en vivo en alguna galeria o museo, radicaba en que no tendrís el contexto, el lugar que es donde yo jugaba cuando tenía esa edad. Pienso que la obra se comporta de una forma simbólica en su mayoria, hay algunos videos que no son tan simbólicos sino mas bien narrativos o metafóricos, es una combinación de muchas cosas, creo que si no están junto al menos tres de los videos la pieza carece un poco de sentido, es necesario que se acompañe de otros, es una narrativa que brinca de un capítulo a otro, como la novela Rayuela de Julio Cortazar, donde hay dos maneras de leerla una siguiendo la secuencia, y otra seguir un mapa que te guia por diferentes capítulos dentro del libro de modo que necesitas cada uno para entender la obra.
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DM: This cycle of videos focuses on bland acts which pass through the narrative like events in a tableau. The reality is that the story is derived from your familiar experiences, however. How did you arrive at the use of video to connect them and make a bridge in between?
EA: The use of video is a tool, I was interested by all of the actions, the performance by the characters. Video helps register the work in a form more clearly than photography for example, there is a narrative inside of each one of them, they are sequences that are narrating various histories, it was essential to make use of this media because another form would have made the structure of the work too complicated.
DM: This structured rhythm of the videos invites a straightforward reading of the scenes. They begin and end with movement of the camera. Why do you recount the stories in this way?
EA: When I made the videos I thought of three things as rules, some would be with a fixed camera position, others with camera in hand, and in a sequence shot, without cutting; in this way I avoided adding greater commentary or a reflection more complex than that which occurs within the actions, bringing it to higher level of cinematography would have hindered the reading in some way, they are small episodes seen more as a choreography than a script. The referent in the works done with a fixed camera points towards Vito Aconcci’s actions during the ‘70’s. The videos with camera in hand are made this way because they are documentative events, that is to say those recreate events from the past, therefore, the difference is marked by the following or accompaniment of the action, in this case it’s important to note the difference between these two aspects, between those which are invented and those which proceed from a verifiable fact.
DM: Some of the scenes appear to be so abstract that they would not have occurred exactly in this way. I'm thinking of the one in which two boys make a square on the ground with shovels and throw dirt at the kid in the middle. Are there imaginary elements included in the narratives?
EA: Of course imagination is important, it’s necessary to remember that childhood is characterized by that, by inventing without anything an alternate world, those videos to which you refer are in reality rites, invented specifically so that the characters understand and learn from them, in some I talk about labor in this way, in others about masculine brute force, of violence, at the same time the purification of that same violence contained or unleased, following the story of the work they are learning to be men, therefore, they are subjected to learn from one form or another with its own particular guidelines.
DM: This cycle of videos focuses on bland acts which pass through the narrative like events in a tableau. The reality is that the story is derived from your familiar experiences, however. How did you arrive at the use of video to connect them and make a bridge in between?
EA: The use of video is a tool, I was interested by all of the actions, the performance by the characters. Video helps register the work in a form more clearly than photography for example, there is a narrative inside of each one of them, they are sequences that are narrating various histories, it was essential to make use of this media because another form would have made the structure of the work too complicated.
DM: This structured rhythm of the videos invites a straightforward reading of the scenes. They begin and end with movement of the camera. Why do you recount the stories in this way?
EA: When I made the videos I thought of three things as rules, some would be with a fixed camera position, others with camera in hand, and in a sequence shot, without cutting; in this way I avoided adding greater commentary or a reflection more complex than that which occurs within the actions, bringing it to higher level of cinematography would have hindered the reading in some way, they are small episodes seen more as a choreography than a script. The referent in the works done with a fixed camera points towards Vito Aconcci’s actions during the ‘70’s. The videos with camera in hand are made this way because they are documentative events, that is to say those recreate events from the past, therefore, the difference is marked by the following or accompaniment of the action, in this case it’s important to note the difference between these two aspects, between those which are invented and those which proceed from a verifiable fact.
DM: Some of the scenes appear to be so abstract that they would not have occurred exactly in this way. I'm thinking of the one in which two boys make a square on the ground with shovels and throw dirt at the kid in the middle. Are there imaginary elements included in the narratives?
EA: Of course imagination is important, it’s necessary to remember that childhood is characterized by that, by inventing without anything an alternate world, those videos to which you refer are in reality rites, invented specifically so that the characters understand and learn from them, in some I talk about labor in this way, in others about masculine brute force, of violence, at the same time the purification of that same violence contained or unleased, following the story of the work they are learning to be men, therefore, they are subjected to learn from one form or another with its own particular guidelines.
DM: If you haven't read about the videos in advance it would still be easy to imagine you writing a program inside of those scenes with their own particular events. They appear to occur like performance art. In your thoughts do the acts exist as symbols or more as a material history?
EA: Really, the true source of the work is performance art, it’s the initial object, this is how the project was conceived. The problem with the execution of the performances live in some gallery or museum is you wouldn’t have the context to locate it, the place, which is where I played as a kid when I was that old. I think through its majority the work acts like a symbolic form, there are some videos that are not as symbolic but rather narrative or metaphorical, it’s a combination of many things, if at least three of the videos aren’t grouped together I believe the piece lacks a little feeling, it’s necessary that one accompanies the others, it’s a story that jumps from one chapter to the next, like the novel “Rayuela” by Julio Cortazar, where there are two ways of reading it, one following the plot and the other by following a map that guides you through different chapters inside the book, in either case you need each one to understand the work.
The exhibition, por amor a la disedencia, will be on view until January 13th, El Museo Universitario Contempáreno, Mexico City. Aragón's piece, Tinieblas, 2009, is on display.
EA: Really, the true source of the work is performance art, it’s the initial object, this is how the project was conceived. The problem with the execution of the performances live in some gallery or museum is you wouldn’t have the context to locate it, the place, which is where I played as a kid when I was that old. I think through its majority the work acts like a symbolic form, there are some videos that are not as symbolic but rather narrative or metaphorical, it’s a combination of many things, if at least three of the videos aren’t grouped together I believe the piece lacks a little feeling, it’s necessary that one accompanies the others, it’s a story that jumps from one chapter to the next, like the novel “Rayuela” by Julio Cortazar, where there are two ways of reading it, one following the plot and the other by following a map that guides you through different chapters inside the book, in either case you need each one to understand the work.
The exhibition, por amor a la disedencia, will be on view until January 13th, El Museo Universitario Contempáreno, Mexico City. Aragón's piece, Tinieblas, 2009, is on display.
