CRIPSIS

The artists invited to the program—Fabiana Vinagre, Belén Rodríguez, Vica Pacheco, and Julián Galay—expanded the perceptual and conceptual dimensions of the exhibition A Leaf Instead of an Eye, deepening the framework of sonic ecology proposed by the Institute for Postnatural Studies. The exhibition was activated by the bodies of Fabiana Vinagre and André Felipe, who brought to life two textile works by Belén Rodríguez, created in and with the Cantabrian forest the artist inhabited. In Eu era ar, espaço vazio, tempo (“I was air, empty space, time”), these feathered beings, camouflaged in ‘forest colors,’ inhabited the space through performativity—exploring alternative modes of becoming-with our surroundings and the resources that sustain us.

In La Capella, Julián Galay invited visitors into a dreamlike state through the sounds of birds and spiders. Mimesis, a performative lecture paired with an active listening session, explored sound as a medium for interspecies communication. Through an experimental concert, Galay used the tuning fork as a scientific tool to sensitize listeners to the architectural vibrations of the space and its connection to the subconscious. As the cycle’s closing act, on Sunday, Vica Pacheco presented Animacy, an immersive piece where the Oaxacan artist used her whistling vessels to transport the audience into a space of sonic intimacy and connection between body and territory. Her work, rooted in the syncretism of ancient Mexica musical practices, rituals, and mythological meanings, opened a sonic universe centered on breath, organic matter, and energy.

Performance by Fabiana Vinagre and Belén Rodríguez
Eu era ar, espaço vazio, performed by Fabiana Vinagre and André Felipe
This piece was both an exercise and an invitation to become-with space, with the species and elements that inhabited it—through matter and sound. In the words of Stela do Patrocínio: to be air, empty space, time. The performance sought fusion with the exhibition environment, understanding crypsis not just as a survival strategy but as a longing to dissolve into the world. This collaboration between Fabiana Vinagre and Belén Rodríguez included two textile works by Rodríguez, conceived as garments dyed with natural pigments collected from trees and plants in the Cantabrian forest. Using the shibori technique, Rodríguez drew a parallel between tree leaves and bird feathers—transforming the forest canopy into a maternal mantle that sheltered the animal species beneath it, including herself.

Performance by Julián Galay: Mimesis
La Capella
Mimesis was a performative lecture on dreams, animals, and tuning forks by composer Julián Galay. With an attitude of deep listening, he explored hidden connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena: the proliferation of language as an endemic plague, the acoustic camouflage of moths, spider dreams, and the recurring nightmares of a zebra finch. What would music composed by the collective unconscious of prey and predators sound like?

Saturday, April 13

Performance by Fabiana Vinagre and Belén Rodríguez
Eu era ar, espaço vazio, performed by Fabiana Vinagre and André Felipe

Performance by Vica Pacheco: Animacy
La Capella
Animacy was a live improvisational set using ceramic instruments crafted by Vica Pacheco. The main melody was produced by six hydraulically-activated whistling vessels, along with resonators and various objects. Her practice existed between ritual and translation, where healing became a form of dialogue—a way to understand that if everything is alive, then communication surpasses words. Discourse, in this context, could be renewed through emotions, sensations, and perception. Each concert was unique, forming sonic ecosystems filled with organic and unsettling sounds that emerged from her vessels, guiding the audience through uncharted auditory territories.