Multi-Parade | Poncili Creación
Poncili Creación | Pablo + Efrain Del Hierro (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
Southern Constellations Fellow. October 2018. Museum collection foam and WWII textiles; latex paint. Dimensions variable.
Multi-Parade is a cohort of wearable soft sculptures that reside in Elsewhere to be used by community collectives and help highlight their social justice causes and events.
Wanting to address concerns and issues of immigration, racism, class inequality, and identity, Poncili set out to fabricate objects that could be of use to different collectives in Greensboro during demonstrations, activities, and protests. Greensboro community members were taught how to properly utilize the puppets through a series of trainings in order to spread the word and teach others. Using World War II surplus and conversations with local activists, the sculptures themselves represent different archetypes that balance serious and playful themes and embody a multiplicity of meanings.
Multi-Parade strings together communitarian and activist efforts that are currently happening locally and across the globe, through playful objects that are able to function in different settings and honor the freedom fighters of the past, present, and future.
As part of their fake cyborg Equipment line, Poncili has provided Elsewhere with a way to record itself by creating a Telefonito and a Datacam from collection foam. The Telefonito (or “little phone” in Spanish) series is a line of exoskeletons for smart phones and the Datacam is a lens/hat that uses the human as software to record in the five senses. You can use both of these soft sculptures to “record” your own perspective of Elsewhere and the world.
Performance documentation. 7 min 55 secs. Museum collection foam and WWII textiles; latex paint; HD video with sound. Dimensions variable.
Featured Performers: Jessica Gaynelle Moss, SHAN WALLACE
Process
Also see 2020’s Multi-Parade, pt. 2, revived for a live virtual event connecting the streets of Greensboro and San Juan.
