“Hacia El Centro De La Galaxia” is the first performance in a series dedicated to developing my own cosmology. This performance has been implemented into an origin myth that exists in an experimental video narrative titled “Nāntli Cemanāhuatl.” This narrative follows my body’s journey to the center of the galaxy, where I sacrifice my body to a black hole and I am reborn with sacred cosmological knowledge. This work uses various video performances and animation to create the narrative. Nāntli Cemanāhuatl means mother universe in Nahuatl, the language belonging to the Mexica people of pre-Columbian Mexico. In my research, I focused on theories in physics, and indigenous cosmologies. This origin story takes inspiration from cosmological narratives found in indigenous cultures, particularly the cosmology of the Mexica from Mexico, and the Lickanatay from Northern Chile.

In the first performance, “Hacia El Centro De La Galaxia,” I focus on the beginning of the journey, calling on the body as I begin to understand its relationship to the Earth in preparation to leave the planet and continue the journey amongst the stars. This performance became a reflection of my time spent living in an indigenous community where I learned about the land and cosmologies of the Linkantay. My time spent in the Atacama Desert was heavily focused on connecting with Pacha Mama through everyday moments and ceremonies, a time of personal growth, eye-opening experiences, and reflections about my overall personal relationship to planet earth.

My work takes inspiration from cosmic phenomena, specifically cosmology and stellar evolution. I am interested in using ‘outer space’ as a platform to explore and imagine narratives about our present time, to tell a story from a multidimensional, multicultural, and multilayered perspective. The goal of my work is to find the intersecting points of two disparate concepts: cosmic phenomena and identity politics, all while keeping in mind our body’s connection to the Earth.

“Hacia El Centro De La Galaxia” is dedicated to migrants around the world who make dangerous journeys in search of more secure and prosperous futures, and to those who have had their own personal journey in life, whatever that may be. We are all a part of this world, each with a story to tell. Each narrative holds a place in the cosmos, a star of sorts, each one lit and shining brightly in our night sky.