Dark Saying – Cucurusí
Single-channel colour video, stereo sound
15’ 53”
Written by: Pablo Méndez
Edited by: Pablo Méndez and Candela Sotos
Presented at the Matadero open doors event in June 2021. With the support of CREA – Matadero, Madrid, 2021.
“Dark Saying” is a video essay created in collaboration with artist Candela Sotos. It explores the connections of luminescence through luminous beings, stars, planets, and optical effects in the atmosphere, focusing primarily on the Lampyridae family (fireflies). We used found footage as well as my own audio and video recordings from the estuaries of Corrientes and the surroundings of Buenos Aires. Initially, the project aimed to create a documentary on firefly breeding (see “Among Humans and Fireflies”) in collaboration with the Experimental Entomology Laboratory (UBA), but we ended up exploring other questions that went beyond entomology: the quest for brightness as language and possible dialogues between beings.
A friend once told me about seeing fireflies in Cordoba (Argentina) shining in response to the thunder of a storm. This enabled our exploration of the relationships between brightness and their possible communication. The result is a work that encourages discovery of our project in a visual and sensory way.
