Demonstrations and tutorials

How a day of the dead installation is made.

I was lucky to have been invited to show my art work at the Oakland museum of Californiaís Days of the Dead exhibit. This page documents how the installation was completed, from beginning to end.

After coming up with a theme, several sketches are created and submitted to the exhibitís curator and the museumís education department. Deadlines are established and a proposal is submitted. When working in a collaboration effort, other considerations are discussed with fellow artists. For this installation I chose a variety of mystical characters that would inhabit a pyramid of sorts. Paper mache was my medium of choice.

1.

Several months before the exhibit, production begins. Armatures are created out of chicken wire, clay, cardboard and metallic foil. Each armature is covered with several strips of pasted newsprint. The paper is applied carefully in order to create a smooth surface.

2.

All armatures are covered with several coats of newsprint and kraft paper. I alternate the paper layers in order to keep track of how many coats Iíve applied. 5 to 8 coats is usually sufficient. Larger pieces may need up to 12 layers.

3.

The paper mache is left to dry out completely for a few days. Most figures are created in separate sections (torsos, feet, heads, legs, etc.). Each individual section is cut away from the structure with the help of a sharp blade.

4.

If done properly, all is left is a paper ìshellî that has retained the shape of the original armature.

5.

The different sections of the figure are paired together, like a big puzzle. This has to be done fast because the paper ìshellsî tend to warp and curl if left alone for an extended period of time.

6.

The figure is ìbandagedî with masking tape. A couple of layers of wet paper mache are applied to the seams.

7.

All the figures are left to dry completely, and then they are primed with several coats of acrylic gesso. I use a fine grain sand paper in between coats to insure a smooth surface. Now the fun begins! I decorate the figures with hand made paper, colored tissue, glitter and acrylic paint.

8.

At the same time, planning for the layout begins. I construct a small maquette to plan the layout of the floor. It is submitted to the curator and the museum preparation department for approval.

9.

Several changes are made before the plan is constructed by the museum staff.

10.

I start to block the space where the main figures will stand with the help of a few pieces of carboard. The staff museum staff works on patching the platforms and painting them to my specifications. I chose a lively Chinese orange hue.

11.

Installation begins. The figures are mounted on sticks that protrude from underneath the platforms. At the very top of my pyramid I place a figure representing Mictlancihuatl, the Aztec Goddess of the underground.

12.

The next figure is the Indian Goddess Kali. I play with the over head lights and decide to add several color jellies to them. This creates pools of colored light that give the installation extra drama.

13.

Several pieces need to hang from the ceiling. This little white angel represents the spirit of a dead child. In Spanish they are called ìLos santos angelitosî, and they are believed to come back to earth during the night of November the first.

14.

Hanging the paper mache proves difficult, since the ceiling is made out of concrete. A solution is to weave a web of transparent fishing line from the existing light tracks.

15.

The fishing line allows for greater flexibility when placing the hanging figures over the entire installation.

16.

The paper mache figures are very light. They move mysteriously on their own thanks to the museumís air conditioning!

17.

I created this altar out of balsa wood, Styrofoam and crepe paper. The virgin figure is made out of polymer clay and tissue paper. A little skeletal school girl looks lovingly at her. The skeletons are embellished with pearl-like paint, holographic glitter and tiny glass beads in order to give them a mysterious glow.

18.

The altar is hanged on an angle, to create movement. Several altar items (flowers, fruit, bread) ìflyî across the room and spill to the floor below.

19.

This figure represents the jackal headed Anubis, the Egyptian deity of embalming. He meets the dead in their journey to the afterlife, and weights their hearts on a scale.

20.

This skeletal kitty is trying to fish a snack out of the pond that surrounds my pyramid.

21.

Several cultures believed that animal companions traveled with the dead to the after life. The Egyptians used to mummify cats, and the Aztecs believed that dogs helped souls cross a river into Mictlan. Mictlan was the name of the Aztec underground, where the dead rested.

22.

Several more pieces are added. A tiger, a devil, a skeleton that represents Miclantecutli, the Aztec god of the underground, and a skeleton grandmother with a black veil.

23.

This happy skeleton Buddah sits on a crepe paper lotus flower. Below him I made a sand painting, my own version of a sand Mandala. Sand Mandalas are made out by Buddhist monks over a period of many days. They are beautiful and intricate, and at the end of their creation they are destroyed. They are reminders that our own existence is fragile as well.

24.

Kaliís body is covered with metallic tissue paper, and she wears a girdle made out of arms. The arms are made out of polymer clay. The Hindu religion believes in reincarnation. Kali wears a skull necklace that represents continuity.

25.

My goal was to interpret the passage into the afterlife (whatever the afterlife may be!) in a light hearted way. I also wanted to create global awareness, and comment on cultural similarities. This is the final piece.