emilio rojas performs
i am met at the entrance to the building by a group of people sitting on the steps. as i go to open the door to run up to the gallery they tell me only one person is permitted to enter the building at a time. the people sitting on the steps inform me they have been there since 17h30. i panic realizing i will not be able to see and hence not able to experience the performance - meaning i will not be able to blog about this performance as there is no way all these people will pass through before the performance ends its durational slot. as i am realizing this emilio arrives at the entrance to the building and invites one person to enter. it is helene vosters turn, but she graciously yields to me in my role as “the blogger.” not quite certain this is an ethical manoeuvre, i take helene’s place and follow emilio up the stairs to the gallery.
emilio rojas bids me to cross the threshold into a location completely transformed by his project. candles offer light and incense scents the space. the performance, or ritual begins immediately. i don’t have time to adjust to the light, or to take off my backpack. smoke from burning sage is wafted near my head as emilio beckons me to give him my hands, which i do. a ceremony of hand washing begins, and i, realizing the ceremony has begun, ask emilio if i can take off my backpack. he helps me with the weight of the pack and puts it behind the counter.
emilio takes me through a variety of actions: hands washing, feet washing, offering a berry to my lips, placing a heavy rock in my hands, pennies in my pockets. i am both delighted and sceptical. delighted by emilio and his attentions to my being and the space he has created, yet sceptical of the consequences of some of the actions and his ability to really “see” and be attentive to the singularity of my body and my experiences. i feel both power and innocence in emilio as we go through the rituals he has created.
i am surprised by the strength i feel in emilio, for there is a sureness and power that transcends his gentle nature. i leave the performance acutely aware of a potential in emilio to create a very deep and empowering connection within. i believe this potential in emilio rojas to be quite unique. i am not speaking of an everyday connection here, but rather someone who has the power to create a connection between what i will call the “divine” for lack of a better word, and the innermost tenderness we all carry within.
