Up in the air at the Textile Museum

The other exhibition at the San Pablo complex is in the Textile Museum and is simply spectacular, a must see if you are in the area.  The show runs until April.  Here is a translation of the blub from the museum website.

The exhibition "Transcomunalidad: interventions and partnerships with communities of artisans and stilt walkers," was inaugurated at the textile Museum of Oaxaca (MTO), it shows the work of Laura Anderson Barbata, multidisciplinary artist who, over 10 years, has worked with traditional stilt walkers from the West Indies and Mexico. Laura fuses dynamics of contemporary art and participation with members of communities and craftsmen.

The show includes photography, video, carvings, incredible clothing and stilts, stilts, stilts.  It brought to mind the Moko Jumbies I saw in the Caribbean, but with a uniquely Mexican flavor.

 From the wixaria region in Jalisco

 Cotton outfit and bag from Jalisco

 Bailarina Oaxaqueña

 Stilts by Jesus Sosa of San Martin Tilcajete

 Life and Death on the stilts.

 El Señor de Aztlan

 Queen Nyame from Trinidad, I think.

One of the best exhibitions I have been blessed to see in years.  Don't miss it.

Black and blue

With a camera always at the ready, the shots present themselves.

I just don't know....

Details

The devil, I mean, the delight, is in the details.

This gorgeous gate leads into the San Paulo complex.

Conlon Nancarrow's piano

Yesterday I was lucky to visit two exhibitions, both in the San Paulo complex.  One was in the beautiful Textile Museum and I will get to that shortly.  However, the other contained one of my Holy Grails, one of Conlon Nancarrow's player pianos.  In an installation by Berenice Torres which utilized player piano rolls, there it sat, the piano.

Because I have been involved in music, in particular, electronic music for most all my life, I was always fascinated by Nancarrow's music, which used an early form of programming, punching holes in paper rolls.  He made the piano do the most wonderful and crazy things.  When I was doing grad work at New England Conservatory, I spent days listening to his stuff.  Check out these wonderful quotes from people far more knowledgeable that your humble blogger.
"Every time Conlon punched a hole, the world got more interesting." —Robert Willey.

 His life story is a fascinating one.

  Early performances of his highly complex work were failures, often due to incompetent musicians, and his attempts to relaunch his compositional career ground to a halt in the (understandably) underfunded and ill-equipped Mexican contemporary music scene of the day. Frustrated by years of indifference and incompetence, Nancarrow withdrew from 'normal' musical circles, and, inspired by the writings of Henry Cowell, ordered an Ampico Reproducing Piano and the required hole-punching equipment for the pianola rolls. The player piano became his sole musical outlet, and he wrote over 50 'Studies' exclusively for the mechanical instruments until a sudden explosion of commissions in the 1980's and 1990's saw live musicians once again tackle his formidably polyrhythmic works.

I can relate to hearing musical parts being played perfectly by computers and watching humans struggle to match the speed and accuracy, I think most composers today deal with that.

 

Ain't no human gonna play like this.  Here is a link to his Piano Player No3a.

So it was a wonderful experience to wander through the interesting exhibit while his music played in the background.  You can see the piano behind all these rolls.

 Ahhhh.... at last, in all its glory, an Ampico Reproducing Piano.

The maestro and the required hole-punching equipment for the pianola rolls.

 ¡Viva Nancarrow!

Flyin' Tamales

I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.

Well, sorta.... I went to the tamaliza, the distribution of free tamales, in celebration of candelaria.  They had 30,000 to pass out to the crowds in front of the cathedral.  I mentioned in yesterday's post that there were blockades on the streets surrounding the zocalo and some of the protesters were responsible for what transpired. There were police everywhere.

 

I spoke to one officer and asked him what was up, but he demurred and said they were there for the tamaliza.  In full riot gear?

Apparently, there was another group that wanted to give out tamales, but did not have the right permits.  I am sure there is much more to the story.  Here are a couple of articles from the morning papers.  When it comes to local politics, I know almost nothing.

However, it was an exciting time when the group tried to bring their baskets of tamales onto the Almeda to the tables that had been set up.  The police blocked their entrance. 

There was lots of shouting and finger pointing.  Eventually, one of the baskets got overturned and then the tamales started getting thrown. 

Food fight!

More shoving and fingerpointing,

but then the group set up a table in front of the police line and began distributing the tamales. 

At the same time, the "official" tamaliza proceeded without incident.

Plenty for everyone.

 The aftermath

Throughout random craziness, some people can look and stay cool.

 Me, too.  I stayed cool.  The dude abides.

Calendaria

Today is candelaria, candlemas, the mid-point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and the day that many families bring their niños Dios from their homes to churches to have them blessed.  It is also a day for tamales, but more on that later.

I went to three nearby villages to see if there were celebrations, but I found only empty churches and this horse happily grazing.

Not to be thwarted on my mission, I headed into the city, which had its normal chaos caused by protests and blockades, only adding to the festivities.

Eventually, I made it to La Soledad where I was lucky to catch a mass.  The church was filled and I stood, watched and listened.  I love how people hold their niños dios so tenderly.

 

A ray of sun blesses this one. 

There was communion and then people filed into the back courtyard for the blessings.

This gentleman sitting and waiting.

 Then getting showered with Holy Water.

The line went surprisingly quickly.

 All shapes and sizes.

 

"Hello.  This is God.  Hang up the phone or I am going to ask the sister to hit you instead of bless you."

 Blessings abounded.  I was lucky to be standing close and was doused several times.

 Love that drop of water.... and her face.

 Afterwards, time to bask in the sun and relax.

 That is the smile of a blessed woman, isn't it?  She was so happy, she radiated.

More in a bit.