Ofrenda de Luz
MALINALCO,MX 2020
Alumbra and Imaginalco teamed up to transform the Recorrido al Mictlán 2020 in Malinalco, State of Mexico, México, into an artistic lighting show created by young people from the neighborhood.They took ownership of the town’s streets, preserving their traditions and strengthening community ties.
What for?
In the context of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, and given the need to take care of everyone's health, the common intention was to offer an alternative celebration during the festivities of the Day of the Dead, a deep-rooted tradition in the community of Malinalco.
Where?
In 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and increased public health concerns, our intention was to offer an alternative celebration during the festivities of the Day of the Dead, a deep-rooted tradition in the community of Malinalco.
To avoid crowds, it was collectively decided to activate the streets of the town through a caravan of consecutive cars. The caravan drove through Malinalco carrying an offering of light to the dead and following a route that passed by different altars in homes honouring the dead.
How?
LABORATORY:
LEARNING EXPERIENCES
We held workshops focused on light, using artistic lighting as a tool for expression and transformation. In the lab portion we raised awareness about light and the role it plays in our lives.
COLLABORATIVE CREATION
During the construction and mounting process we collectively identified the skills and interests of each participant to define their role in putting what they learned during the workshops into practice.
Photos by Aldo Ayllón García and Carlos Zoco Montero.
What?
PLACEMAKING
Three operational cars were transformed into artistic lighting installations incorporating the essential elements of a Day of the Dead altar into their design.
By occupying the streets of the neighborhood with symbolic cars, the participants created a space for nighttime gathering, and brought joy and surprise to the community.
Each car had its own distinct identity, reflected in the puppet it carried, and the personalities of the participants who operated them.
Owning of your street is also a way of reinventing your space.
Fotos por Teresa de Miguel
Who?
Yoselin, 17 y/o
...I was thinking that I can put light in my room, I mean, decorate it with light. In other words, what I learned here, do it at home, in my room.
Torres, 21 y/o
I liked playing with the lights, [with] things I didn't even know, today I do. And I feel comfortable, I think it's a great project, yes... What do I enjoy the most right now? Well, it's being over there with the crew that I know, that supports me, giving a hand to each other, in a creative field. That's what I like the most.
Dani "Gringo", 21 y/o
...a little bit different from what was done in the past years, but still the same motivation. Well, what I have enjoyed the most is that, now, I have met new friends, new people. And well, we've come up with some new ideas for handling light for some rap video clips.
Vale, 18 y/o
...I really like that stuff about light... I never had learned anything similar about light and I did not know what cold light and warm light are, or about the colors that can be combined so that you can make different sentimental situations. So, well, it was something good and something super cool for me, because, now I know and understand things more.
ALUMBRA is a project by Colectivo Barrio
Iniciativa Ciudadana para el Desarrollo Barrial A.C.
