OBJECT: Host Figure

TIME PERIOD: Between 5th – 7th centuries

ORIGIN:Esquinta Tisquisate region, Guatemala // true origin: Mexican city of Teotihuacán (700 miles northwest)

REASON: This objects origin is my home country, its intriguing design and composition caught my attention, I liked how it           was a vessel conceptually and literally.

MATERIALS: Ceramic, Pyrite, Pigment

FUNCTION:Figure used for intimate ritual activities,

DISPLAY: The removable chest plate of the figure sits diagonally in front of the figure with exposed insides.

EMBEDDED ASPECTS: Theories on the meaning of the removable chest, as well as the figurines that lay inside. Also, the way it is placed and arranged.

INNATE ASPECTS: Composition, material, its place of origin.

NARRATIVE:

PERSONHOOD

I had never felt so small. The sky looked rivetingly immense, and I could not help but wonder. I sat on a wooden swing set, in my old house’s back yard. The weather was perfect, the skies clear, and the sun warm. A fresh breeze encountered my face every time I swung back and forth. The smell of maple trees and grass inhibited my body. I felt so aware of everything that surrounded me, but little did I know that I had a lot to discover.

I was only 8 years old at this time. I was a curious little girl, ambitious, and interested in basically everything. For this reason, I went out to play and get a little fresh air. Although playing with my neighbors and my cousins was something that I enjoyed doing, I also appreciated my time alone. I knew that once I was out there -alone- I could have time to really think. I had a pair of denim shorts and a plain white cotton T-shirt, and I was barefoot. At that age, I didn’t really care much about getting my feet dirty or ruining my clothes. Be that as it may, I walked out my house’s glass door, and I remember feeling the grass beneath my feet while I walked towards the swing set. I finally sat in the rubber base of the swing, and I began to swing fast. I remember trying to pretend I was flying while I looked at the sky in the highest point of the ride.

In the course of pretending, and feeling rushes of excitement I couldn’t bare all my doubts. Looking up at the sky was a huge mystery. Who was I? What does all of this mean? How does this planet even exist? I recall failing to see earth’s roundness just by looking up at the sky. Now that I think about it, I guess it is normal for kids to have doubts about themselves -let alone the universe; however I am more surprised that I remember this moment so clearly. It was as if I was in a meditative state where my mission was to find the whole point of me and of everything.

Soon enough, I felt a weird feeling in my stomach. As a young person I felt was -in a way- scared of what was out there. Perhaps it was too much to think about, or I just wanted to avoid such complexities. Whatever the case, I got back inside and ignored everything. Subsequently, I found myself outside in my neighborhood a few days later. I looked up at the sky and remembered it all. This time however, was different; I was not wondering about what there was to the world but more about myself. I thought about myself, plainly for self-awareness. It is difficult to put into words, but from that moment on I have been aware of who I am as a person.

Looking back, I am fascinated to see how much I have changed inside and out yet I am still the same “me” that reflected on herself almost eleven years ago. When I chose the host figure in the MET, and read about how it held beliefs about the importance of personhood and human essence, this memory was triggered. I Initially chose the figure as a vessel but reading about its true meaning compelled me. I was fascinated by the fact that an idea so simple, yet too significant has been around for so long. Perhaps I do not ritualize in order to find myself, nor do I make sculptures of figurines to represent who I am, but I do express myself and reach awareness through my art.

Nonetheless, I still see that 8-year-old as me despite the fact that now I am a completely different person. In other words, many things have shaped my personality and how I look, yet who I am is innate. The host figure I chose is not colorful, its pigment has deteriorated nor is it used for rituals. It has changed over time, now it’s exhibited in a museum for others so see an admire what has always been true about it: embracing human essence.

BUILDING OBJECTS IN RELATION TO MY NARRATIVE: