Apariciones/Apparitions

"The body of the dancers, or phantoms, become sources of knowledge, and their gaze holds the viewer accountable, something that is too often missing from history and art; holding space in historically white spaces in ways that they have never been inhabited before.” -Carolina Caycedo, artist

In her video artwork Apariciones/Apparitions, Carolina Caycedo uses indoor and outdoor spaces throughout The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens as the setting for this dance- and movement-based piece. Caycedo, a London-born Colombian artist living in Los Angeles, worked with choreographer Marina Magalhães to develop movements and gestures inspired by ritual, labor, and rest. Watch this three-minute clip of the artwork and use the questions and prompts below to gain familiarity with this piece.

Questions & Prompts

Imagine you were in this choreographed piece. How would you feel? Why?
Mimic one of the movements you observe in this video. What does it feel like to move your body in this way?

Mimic one of the still (unmoving) poses you observe in this video. What does it feel like to hold your body still in this way?
Select one of the dancers and follow them throughout the scenes. What do they do with their body in each scene? Describe the scenery they engage with. Try this again with a different dancer and compare their movements.
This video is a three-minute clip of a nine-minute and thirty-second video artwork. Based on what you have seen in this clip, what would you expect to see in the other six-and-a-half minutes? Why?

The Space

Typewritten text with a manuscript "30th" on the first line.

The first two paragraphs from Original Trust Indenture, Henry Edwards Huntington, 1919. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. HIA 16.5.1.

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens provides the setting for Apariciones/Apparitions. In 1919, Henry E. Huntington and his wife Arabella Huntington promised to turn their private estate into a public institution. At that time, their estate included features such as a mansion, library buildings, several gardens, including the Desert Garden and the Japanese Garden, orchards, and several acres of undeveloped land.

The Huntingtons’ goal of putting their estate into a trust for the public was to “to promote and advance learning, the arts and sciences, and to promote the public welfare” (Huntington 1). They were committed to sharing valuable culture and learning with the public. However, because the Huntingtons valued British, European, and Anglo-American history, this is what they chose to collect and present as important and valuable to future visitors.

The Apariciones/Apparitions artwork challenges The Huntington’s historical definitions of “public good” and “community.” Today, The Huntington aspires to be a welcoming place for all.

Transcription

The first two paragraphs from Original Trust Indenture, Henry Edwards Huntington, 1919. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. HIA 16.5.1.

Transcription

The Movement

In this artwork, Caycedo holds space for Black and brown bodies in the historically white Huntington. The dancers in this work engage in movements and poses inspired by three aspects of human existence: ritual, labor, and rest.

Ritual is the act of using our bodies to perform repeated actions for a sacred or solemn purpose. In this artwork, Caycedo infuses Afro-Latine spiritual practices and aesthetics into the landscape. In particular, the artwork draws on the colors and movements of Oxúm (also written Ọṣun or Oshun). Oxúm is an Orisha, a being that loosely translates to a deity, spirit, or goddess. Orisha are part of the Yoruba religion of West Africa as well as of the African diaspora religions that derived from Yoruba religious traditions. Oxúm is an Orisha of water, pleasure, fertility, and sexuality. Her signature color is deep gold. When an Orisha enters the body of a mortal, the mortal’s entire body is believed to shake. Where do you see elements of Oxúm in this artwork?

Labor is using our bodies, minds, and energy to work. This artwork explores how labor can be a form of ritual (a religious or solemn act). Some of the rituals of labor in this piece include tilling land and washing gold in a river. Where do you see labor in this artwork? What aspects of the labor seem like rituals to you?

Rest is allowing our bodies, minds, and energy to replenish. Rest is the absence of labor, and it is essential to our well-being. This artwork explores how rest can be a form of ritual (a religious or solemn act). Some of the rituals of rest in this piece include lying on a tree in the garden and lying on a table in the library reading room. Where do you see rest in this artwork? What aspects of rest seem like rituals to you?

Analyze the Landscape

Choose one of the below stills (photographs) from the video artwork. Allow the prompts and questions beneath the stills to guide your observation. Once you’re done, you can choose a second still and repeat the process. Compare your responses for the two stills. You can also compare your responses to those of a friend or classmate.