A Conocer El Vejigante (Work in Progress, Pt. 1)

JACK Artist in Residence, August 2021

"A Conocer El Vejigante" is to be a performance video and installation piece depicting a series of sonic ceremonial healing practices regarding internalized racism and the traumas of colonialism.  In a cleansing fire ritual and procession, the vejigante mask is worn to invoke the Orisha Chango and honor my Borikén/Taino roots, my brown skin, and my Black grandfather. 

In August 2021, I was awarded a residency on the island of Paggank (aka Governors Island) by JACK in partnership with the Beam Center. On the island, I created a ritual of touching and honoring the land by its indigenous name and acknowledged the native Lenape people.

My workspace for two weeks was a bare white room in a colonial home on Colonel’s Row. Adding a sprawling plant that I’ve cared for many years brought life into the space. My collaborators, Carlita Gay and Nicole Mignanoni, and I created an altar for our ancestors and the Lenape Munsee Canarsie peoples. We felt the presence on the land abundant with mugwort. In Herbalism, mugwort enhances dreaming.

The creation of the Vejigante was ethereal. With repurposed packaging I constructed a mask to celebrate ancestors. Below, you’ll find some sketches of the Vejigante mask along with excerpts from Paggank.

This is a work in progress. Pt. 2 coming soon.