installation
quipu.mp3 (2019)
A quipu is a unique form of ancient communication and information storage used by the Inca Empire and their predecessors in the region of what today we call Peru. This hybrid and interactive quipu contains and protects testimonies from Peruvian individuals who have something in common: they and/or their families left their hometowns to migrate to the country’s capital Lima. Today, Lima confronts ancient hatreds towards the migrant. People are blinded by the traffic, pollution and insults that isolate them from their heritage, the contact with nature and most importantly, from listening.
The installation allowed visitors to establish a connection with the 8 Peruvian interviewees, by listening to their stories through headsets and reading about their respective regions of origin. Whenever people moved around the space, sounds of Lima’s hectic traffic at rush hour were triggered by the use of motion sensors and played loudly through the speakers. Once people stayed still, the calmness of the Amazon’s rainforest sounds took over. Through collaboration and synchronization, visitors could enhance the listening experience.
The threads of the quipu simulate the 8 natural regions of Peru, which are divided according to their altitude. These regions classify the country based on common factors such as land relief, climate, flora, fauna and landscape. No borders. No hierarchies. Quipu.mp3 aims to communicate different aspects of national migration and to connect the country’s territory.