Feathered Changes, Serpent Disappearances: Mesa Redonda
Inspired by the series of Mayanist round tables developed by renowned archeologist Merle Greene Robertson (1913—2011), Feathered Changes, Serpent Disappearances: Mesa Redonda brings into discussion some of the enigmatic accounts of excavation and looting that chronicle the dispersal, collection, and preservation of pre-Columbian art and artifacts. Through an improvised arrangement devised by KADIST + SFAI artist-in-residence Mariana Castillo Deball, the event will combine aspects of composer John Cage’s philosophy of chance with material experimentation in order to create a theatre of archaeology. The experimental round table also signals the artist’s forthcoming exhibition of the same name opening on April 14th at SFAI. Accompanying Deball for this event is de Young Museum’s Curator of Art of the Americas, Matthew H. Robb, who, specializing in the indigenous arts of the Western hemisphere and the history of collecting pre-Columbian art, will contribute to Deball’s scene of objects, archival documents, and short-process demonstrations for the night.