EL MOLCAJETE PERDIDO
‘El Molcajete Perdido’ (with Nancy García Cha and Zyanya Arellano) is a short mockumentary based on the true story of a precolonial mortar discovered during the construction of a house in Mexico City in the early 20th century. The mockumentary follows the journey of the molcajete through the family’s history and the institutions chasing after them.
During the approximately five-minute-duration video, the narrative traces the journey of the mortar from its discovery to its present. However, other topics such as the concept of national heritage and the role of institutions as protective entities glimpse between dialogues. The video is complemented by a series of three photographs taken during the documentary’s production and a life-size replica of the original mortar.
The project was presented during the exhibition ‘Desenterrando la historia: El molcajete perdido’, at the gallery Biquini Wax, Mexico City, 2018.
Year — 2018
Medium — Video, installation
El molcajete perdido, 2018 | Photograph taken during the mockumentary’s production, gelatin silver print, variable dimension.
El molcajete perdido, 2018 | Video still, single-channel colour video with audio, 4’39”.
El molcajete perdido, 2018 | Video still, single-channel colour video with audio, 4’39”.
El molcajete perdido, 2018 | Video still, single-channel colour video with audio, 4’39”.
El molcajete perdido, 2018 | Installation view, mixed media, variable dimension.
El molcajete perdido, 2018 | Photographs taken during the mockumentary’s production, gelatin silver print, variable dimension.