Last week, i09 posted a video by a collection of animators called Llama Rada. Directed by Alejandro Garcia Cabbalero, Llama Rada projected videos on gravestones in Mexico’s 590-acre cemetery Panteón de Dolores.
According to i09, the Llama Rada project is bringing the work of animators into public spaces throughout Mexico City.
Although the Panteón de Dolores has around 700,000 tombstones, only a small section seemed to be chosen as screens for the animation.
Panteon de Dolores / Santolo / Llamarada from Ciudad Intervenida on Vimeo.
I don’t have the cultural knowledge to critique this as an art installation, but as much as I support creative ways to bring people into relationships with cemeteries, the video troubles me. Beyond the violent content of the animations (which again, I don’t have the understanding to put into cultural perspective), I am made uncomfortable by the sense of disrepect this video installation shows, both to the people buried in the cemetery and their families.
What do you think? Is a graveyard a valid canvas for temporary artwork? Does beauty trump history? Do the dead cease to care how their monuments are used — or could they use a little music and light to get their toes tapping?
11 responses to “Animating a Cemetery”