ES/EN
LO ÚNICO SEGURO ES QUE NOS VAMOS A MORIR
(The Only Certain Thing is that We are Going to Die)
A syncretic celebration of the endless cycle of life and death
Performance by Carmina Escobar in collaboration with Wesam Nassar
Live-stream on Nov 2, 2020 at 8pm PST
“The truth is that life is hard and dangerous; that he who seeks his own happiness does not find it; that he who is weak must suffer; that he who demands love will be disappointed; that he who is greedy will not be fed; that he who seeks peace will find strife; that truth is only for the brave; that joy is only for him who does not fear to be alone; that life is only for the one who is not afraid to die.”
― Joyce Cary
LO ÚNICO SEGURO ES QUE NOS VAMOS A MORIR is a performative installation in observance of Día de Muertos holiday, based on the Mexican syncretic celebration of the endless cycle of life and death in which catastrophes are never obliteration, but the transitions between forms. In our current existential crisis to accept change is to embrace life, and to embrace life is to welcome death, acknowledging the brief breath that is our passage on this earth. The title of this performance, “THE ONLY CERTAIN THING IS THAT WE ARE GOING TO DIE” leaves in the air the phrase, to be completed by the audience, “THUS WE MUST LIVE.”
Escobar will build a communal altar in the storefront at LACE, constructed from objects and offerings of fellow artists, musicians, and friends, setting the ritual space for the performance on the night of November 1st. A week prior to the event Escobar will start the process of collecting the gifts for the altar, tracing her path as well as starting a processional recording of long time collaborators Maqueos Music Oaxacan Brass Filharmonic, which traditional music is played in processions, fiestas, and funerals. Escobar traces a path by visiting individual band members, a total of 28, and recording them from the outside of their home, in order to create a time-stretched sound piece that will accompany the performative ritual.
This performance took place in the storefront space in conjunction with the exhibition Ser todo Es ser parte/To Be Whole Is To Be Part. Many thanks to Carmen Argote, Sandra de la Loza, Jimena Sarno, Gelare Khoshgozaran, Anna Luisa Petrisko and Arshia Haq for their offerings to our community altar.
