—On transformation

Video by Kau Chiayu Lin
Photography by Kovács István

Plaza Párroco Juan Montero, outside the Ayuntamiento de Cañada del Hoyo, created in 1870

Artist residency at Karstica Espacio de Creación, España (2025), curated by Hector Canonge
Supported by the Eaton Fund (UK)

I gathered wildflowers from the surrounding hills and brought them to the centre of the town, inviting local residents to take part in the action.

The score

I placed my materials on the ground: soil, water, and wicker waste (desecho de mimbre)
I began the action by clashing two stones together, one in each hand, moving them in a circular motion above my head
I spoke with residents and invited them to place flowers on my body while I searched through the poem
I read from The Only Truthful Is Songs and Flowers, a poem inspired by Náhuatl philosophy and Canto triste de Cuacuauhtzin (México, ca. 1410–1443)
I mixed the materials directly on the floor
I covered parts of my body with the clay
Residents helped plant wildflowers where the clay rested on my skin.