There is a place everyone knew
It raised far long between mountains somewhere else
Somewhere we could go walking for not so many days
and sleeping not so many nights
But no one ever goes.
There is nothing there.
Even when a tower raises carrying clouds
up
We never say it fell
because is not exactly what happened to it.
We didn’t care much.
We saw it growing greedily
And everyone knew what was going to happen sooner
Or not so later
The Cloud Hunter came from there.
Carrying nonsensical artifacts that didn’t serve to work the soil
The Cloud Hunter would sit with it’s back facing the tower.
We never heard any complain.
Surprisingly it seemed like it wanted to stay.
We saw many drifters with all their nonsense
With their soft hands.
The Cloud Hunter would care about things that we couldn’t say
That didn’t have a name.
Maybe they where always there but we didn’t have eyes for it
No use.
No existence.
No questions.
No words.
“The Old Capital” is a hanging scaffolding sculpture of a main body together with cloud-shaped kites. Exists as the material form for a tale occurring on the fictional Magpie Village (Kachi Maul). Works as a future-past presentation for a concept of “city” versus “country”, where an advanced civilization falls by it’s own achievements. What is left is the past they wanted to leave behind on the ground after building a floating city.
Old Capital. 2017. Sculpture. Bamboo, thread, wrapping paper, ink drawings. Variable dimensions.