iMuseo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC)Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán
Alexandre Estrela. RedSkyFalls: Réplica
Luminous "sentinels" animated by animal movements react in real time to seismic signals from around the world, echoing folk earthquake-warning lore.
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Somewhere in the world the ground starts to shake, and in MUAC's north corridor a small figure of light on an aluminium plate gets restless. When the tremor reaches it as data, it freezes and hides, the way frogs and snakes are said to before a quake. The bigger the earthquake, the longer it takes to return to its routine.
This is one Réplica, an offshoot of RedSkyFalls, Alexandre Estrela's installation for Portugal at this year's Venice Biennale. Its movement is stitched together from animal behaviour: the pulse in a fly's leg, the flick of a fish larva's tail, a worm contracting its segments. You watch it knowing the next tremor could start anywhere on Earth. Mexico City is the last of five seismic cities to host one.
It's a single work, so pair it with MUAC's other shows. Tickets are MXN 60, half price on Sundays, and free on Thursdays from 18:00 to 20:00. It closes on 22 November, the same day as the Venice pavilion.
Editor's pick
Luminous sentinels, animated by animal movements, react in real time to seismic signals from around the world, a nod to the folk belief that animals sense earthquakes first.
Look for
The sentinel at rest
Look for an abstract figure set into the grooves of an aluminium plate, lit and twitching with a fly's leg pulse, a larva's tail and a worm's segments.
The freeze
When a quake registers anywhere in the world, the figure goes still and retreats, then slowly resumes, staying hidden longer the bigger the quake.
Good for
- An Hour Or Less
- Cheap Culture
- Evening Visits
- Nerding Out
Skip if
You want a full exhibition: this is a single Réplica in the north corridor.
With kids
Under-12s get into MUAC free.
Also at Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC)
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Image credits
5
- Alexandre Estrela. RedSkyFalls: RéplicaCourtesy of Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC)
- El Códice de AzcatitlanCourtesy of Museo Nacional de Antropología
- Entretejidas | Mextrópoli, 13o. Festival de Arquitectura y CiudadCourtesy of Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso
- El evento de un hilo. Narrativas globales en los textilesCourtesy of Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo
- Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC)Luisalvaz / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0