huaca
The Dug Collective began in 2011 as a collaboration with Joana Cifre-Cerda and Ross Oliver. We worked together on a range of multidisciplinary installations and residencies in Lincoln, London and Palma. The approach was fundamentally experimental, engaging with the abject and overlooked aspects of the environment and psyche.
For Opem2 at The Collection, Lincoln we developed work based on the piece ‘Cuckoon’, shown at How Soon Is Now at Stokes Warehouse in 2012. ‘Huaca’ was developed as a site-specific piece for The Collection, utilising space that is usually hidden from view to the visiting public, it draws on the sense of the venue’s archaeological heritage, digging beneath the surface, uncovering fragments of our past so as to shed light on the present.
Huaca, installation view (2012) mixed media assemblage, hidden performance, cctv cameras, projection and monitors, dimensions variable approx. 230cm x 100cm x 150cm
‘Huaca’ is the Peruvian term for all that is sacred and also refers to one who has the ability to locate buried, sacred treasure. The notion of a sanctified activity, object or place tends to be at odds with contemporary culture; practices set apart from everyday reality may be viewed with suspicion, however the need for an individual to embark on periods of withdrawal and reflection is universal and requires no script to guide it.
The work was developed in residency at The Collection in Autumn 2012 and was on display for three months with a programme of performances taking place during that time.