Abstract
Grounded in cultural heritage and territory, this artistic interpretation unfolds as an ancestral journey where music and ritual intersect. Quillay revitalizes space and time through sonic exploration, weaving together canto con caja, opera, and dance. The traditional caja drum and voice summon melodies aligned with the Jujuy Andean agricultural calendar, evoking the cyclical relationship between sound, land, and community. As these tonalities accumulate, they generate a soundscape that expands beyond the instrument, occupying the space with movement and presence. The performance situates the body as both vessel and mediator of memory, transforming the stage into a living ritual where ancestral knowledge resonates with contemporary artistic practice.
This artistic interpretation is an ancestral journey. Quillay revitalizes space and time through sonic exploration. The canto con caja emerges, bringing with it different tunes sung throughout the year in correspondence with the Andean Jujuy agricultural calendar. A soundscape is created with the drum, the voice, and opera, eventually filling the space with dance.
Citation
Mendez, Quillay. 'Mariposa del Desprecio [Butterfly of Disdain]'. Dispossessions in the Americas. https://staging.dia.upenn.edu/en/art/AARG028/
