Action Office Was Meant to be About Movement

The Toltecs, and later the Mexicas, believed that projection from the spiritual world into the physical was possible. ​Mahtactli on ce ilhuicatl ​or ‘the Eleventh Heaven’ is the location of the four spiritual energies of Tezcatlipoca, sometimes described as the ‘invisible god’ due to the scant surviving representations. M​ahtactli on ce ilhuicatl ​is visualized by a square formation, each of the four spiritual energies occupying one corner, with scores of movement between intersecting lines of mother-thought and father-thought forming an x or cross in the center. When enacted, the tracks rotate around the central axis, drawing a circle within a square. Far from the distance we see uses this geometric configuration and its spiritual significance to instigate audience participation, as the viewer must navigate the space according to predetermined routes in order to fully access the imagery contained within.

The architecture referencing ​Mahtactli on ce ilhuicatl​ contains a multi-channel video installation, accessed via cubicle partitions, and treated with a privacy film designed to obscure only the content displayed on the video screens. The open concept cubicles reference an outmoded form of office space and economic stability, representing the shift to precarious labor, not just by the artist as freelancer, but by workers in many fields across the global gig economy. Architecture elicits a compulsory performativity equivalent to our contemporary experience of screen mediation.

As part of the exhibition design for Action Office Was Meant to be About Movement, there were four hidden altars which sat behind the curved wall of the main installation, invisible to the viewer. Each of the hidden altars corresponded with four different colors. Artists who also engaged in a spiritual practice were invited to offer an item for one of the four colors that resonated with them most. The altars were not visible during the run of the exhibition, instead their presence was disclosed via a publication that came out the last day of the exhibition. The altars were meant to bring an additional dimension to the piece, as a way to influence and guide viewership and resonance beyond aesthetic, visual form.



2019