Cha ni chinu chi'in ñu'un / Construida de tierra / Built of Earth

Year:
2024

Location(s):
Jamiltepec, Oaxaca, Mexico; Materia Abierta Studio, Colonia Escandón, Mexico City, Mexico.

Cha ni chinu chi'in ñu'un / Construida de tierra / Built of Earth is an experimental documentary project consisting of a short film, a publication [in progress], and a collaborative installation that explores the immense and ancient family home at the centre of Jamiltepec, Oaxaca, Mexico. The cavernous adobe house is in the process of being restored after a devastating earthquake that saw a portion of its roof collapse in February 2018.

How does building with earth nurture cultural memory?

The short film follows the restoration process, with its focus on traditional building materials and techniques, creative reuse, and local artisanal production. In doing so, it explores the origins of Jamiltepec and its relation to earthen building practices, manifesting the desires of its current owners to perpetuate regional cultural practices very much in peril of being lost.

In addition to the short film at the core of the project, we also shared the work in a collaborative installation context in the Materia Abierta studio in April 2024, with contributions from Diego García Rodríguez, Fabiola López Zazueta, Octavio Castro Gallardo, Axel Dechelette Ramon, and Javier Guzmán Cervantes.

The installation also contained a small library, its infrastructure created by Javier Guzmán Cervantes, part of his project exsoup. From Jean Dethier's epic and encyclopedic The Art of Earth Architecture to classics like Bernard Rudofsky's Architecture without Architects, the small library contained many resources on vernacular architecture and earth building practices. A publication featured in the library is Javier's collaboration with Axelle Dechelette Ramón, the first edition of lugar vivo, “Apuntes para descenso energético. Notas y gestos para habitar la ruina.” Another strong presence on the shelf was the work of Cooperación Comunitaria, a non-profit organization that promotes community-based social housing production and management, who gifted us many of their publications.

During the opening, we enjoyed live Ñuu Savi/Mixteco music by Abelardo Raúl Hernández Hernández, food by Queti Gallardo Macayo, and a screening of Raphael Reichl’s La Escondida (2024, 52 minutes).

This project allowed me to work with discarded building materials in the installation context and experiment with composting as methodology in exhibition practices. It also gave me the opportunity to explore other materials, from rust dyeing on cotton with the 200-+-year-old iron nails from the Casona’s roof, to the creation of ceramic sculptures made from the clay rescued from discarded adobe collected during the restoration process.

Resources:
Cha ni chinu chi'in ñu'un / Construida de tierra / Built of Earth is distributed by the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre:
Cha ni chinu chi'in ñu'un / Construida de tierra / Built of Earth

“Built of Earth: The Casona and Vernacular Earthen Architecture in Oaxaca, Mexico” in Canadian Theatre Review 191 (Summer 2022):
Built of Earth CTR 191.pdf

Collaborators:

Film credits:

Cinematography: Zoë Heyn-Jones & Octavio Castro Gallardo

Editing: Eduardo Makoszay Mayen

Sound Design: Allan Vizzuett Almazán

Voice: Gelacia Cecilia Hernández Sánchez

Translation: Abelardo Raúl Hernández Hernández

Drawings: Diego García Rodríguez

Poem: “Casona Antigua del Centro,” Dr. José Francisco Ziga Gabriel, 2017.

Workers and Craftspeople:
Diego Calderón López
Andrés Calderón Merino
Filadelfo Curiel Velazquez
Juan Carlos Curiel Velazquez
Pablo Hernández Hernández
Gabriel Serrano Quiroz
Luis Mejía López
Gregorio Nicolás Hernández
Ángel Lopez
Don Francisco
Rafael Pérez Santiago
Jared Pérez Pérez

Special thanks to:
Gustavo Adolfo Castro de León
Rosenda Queti Gallardo Macayo

Poster design: Andrea Volcán Variya

Installation:

Animated loop: Diego García Rodríguez

Interactive digital collage: Fabiola López Zazueta

Photographs: Octavio Castro Gallardo

Scenography: Axel Dechelette Ramon & Javier Guzmán Cervantes/exsoup

Installation & audio-visual support: Jesús (Chucho) Alejandro, Allegra Hangen & Raphael Reichl

Cushions: Clara Polanco Talavera

Opening:

Live music: Abelardo Raúl Hernández Hernández

Food/hospitality: Queti Gallardo Macayo

Hosts: Materia Abierta Studio, CDMX

Photographic documentation: Rubén Garay

Ceramics instruction: Ana Rivera Uribe

Support:

The Canada Council for the Arts; Project Anywhere; Materia Abierta; Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre, Cooperación Comunitaria.

Projects

About

Collaborators

Pedagogy

Zoë Heyn-Jones