Things We Lost in the Fire

Things we lost in the Fire initiated from the event of a fire that consumed the house of my parents in the south of Chile. Facing the fire that night, my parents were witness and victim at the same time, as the fire acted as a catalyst, bringing to the forefront the consciousness of our own mortality and transitoriness, as grief does. The event of the fire was accompanied with an intense reflection, awakening numerous memories and perhaps signaling the search for new meaning.  The project, Things we lost in the Fire, deals with grief as a vital part of our very human life, an experience that can open compassion and maturation, giving our lives and practice depth and humility. The present moment proposes a similar instant of reflection of things that we lost during the pandemic process, a moment of grief.  

Things we lost in the Fire is primarily a performance envisioned as portraits,  consisting of a series of photographs and videos of people holding a miniature piece of furniture while it burns. The portraits are presented in a layered format as the images are printed on silk suspended in front of a drawing of the house of the person portrayed. During the pandemic the house operated in a multi-dimensional way,  providing safety, security, and familiarity, while at the same time being a physical reminder of our isolation and loss.