I started making pre-American objects from a place of grief, making and hearing them taught me about grief, as the environmentalist of the soul. It healed something in me, and since then, making has turned into inquiry: When were these instruments played, what rituals enveloped them, how did their rites of passages, and funerary rites sound? In addition, I also explore pathways for indigenous and diasporic communities to reclaim these technologies, challenging colonial narratives through the essential act of listening.

Through crafting these instruments, I stitch together fragmented stories and revive one of the oldest and most obscure sonic heritage--Abya Yala's legacy. I seek guidance from celestial constallations as I shape flute beings, water whistle beigns, rattle beings, serpent beings--each endowed with unique patterns and frequencies. These inter-dimensional mechanisms are imbued with sonic codes, they are ancient future technologies, carrying memory about land and self. Two of the instruments below were gifts.


A note on making:

The objects in this collection serve as a reflection of the ancient peoples who forged them. Through touch and experimentation, these individuals established connections with the birds, volcanoes, oceans, cosmos, changing seasons, and each other. I hesitate to label them simply as musical instruments; they are more accurately described as temporal maps, with frequencies that resonate with specific territories.

Some temples were discovered filled with broken flutes, seemingly unused (as evidenced by the mouthpieces showing no signs of wear), which were likely crafted to accompany their makers into the afterlife. Others were designed for use during solstices or equinoxes, as their construction and arrangement of sound chambers align precisely with the sun's position during these celestial events. Additionally, some pan flutes were found with clay deliberately sealing the mouthpiece, hinting at their intended purpose.

While these objects possess potential healing qualities, they are imbued with so much knowledge, with healing being just one facet of their existence. To me, they communicate the language of stars.

I prefer to refer to them as objetos sonoros—Sound Objects.

_34A9423
_34A9601
_34A9422
_34A9426
_34A9474
_34A9428
_34A9427
_34A9645
_34A9431
_34A9425
_34A9416
_34A9418
_34A9605
_34A9604
_34A9647
_34A9421
_34A9392
_34A9393
_34A9409
_34A9419
_34A9632 copy
_34A9626 copy
_34A9413
_34A9414
_34A9394
_34A9396
_34A9397
_34A9398
_34A9411
_34A9408
_34A9493
_34A9494
_34A9492 copy
_34A9481
_34A9483
_34A9484
_34A9486
water w
_34A9487
_34A9639 copy
_34A9491
_34A9519
_34A9443
_34A9480
_34A9477
_34A9479
_34A9470
_34A9472
_34A9652 copy
_34A9650
_34A9469
_34A9467
Untitled-1
_34A9448-2
_34A9447
_34A9456
_34A9445
_34A9455-3
_34A9446
_34A9635
_34A9439
_34A9641
_34A9535
_34A9541
_34A9435
_34A9460
_34A9468
_34A9521
_34A9510
_34A9442
_34A9524
_34A9612
_34A9642 copy
_34A9615 copy
_34A9620
_34A9613 copy
_34A9618 copy
_34A9511
_34A9534
_34A9512
_34A9513
_34A9520
_34A9500
_34A9505
_34A9498
_34A9507
_34A9508
_34A9499
_34A9509
_34A9496
_34A9497
_34A9514
_34A9501
_34A9503
_34A9637 copy
_34A9502
_34A9644