RUBÉN AGUILERA: Corpus


Born 1948, Chile. Lives in Sweden since 1977. Degree in Sociology, Lund University, Sweden. Spanish teacher and translator. Three published poetry books; El pequeño libro del odio (1985), Los escarabajos (1989), Cerditos de sabio rabo (2000). A dozen published poetry booklets. Represented in several anthologies. Since 1996 develops projects for cultural integration. Currently in Lunds Cooperativ Association for Integration Developement. Experiments with visual poetry.
CORPUS
From the Latin ”body”.
 

A video triptych of Visual Poetry narrated in Spanish, with Swedish text.
A reinterpretation of the devotional items brought by Europeans to America, seen
through the eyes of a Chilean poet living in Sweden since 33 years. The poet
refers to this as the retro-reconquest*.

*By the beginning of the 70’s thousands and thousands of Latin American political refugees came to Europe

I sequence
Corpus Christi. Trinity (“The body of Christ”). 12.40 minutes.
The poet walks around with Eder Acorssi a Brazilian photographer. Who is the silent and unaware witness of the reinterpretation of ordinary urban places under the light of Christianity.

II sequence
Habeas Corpus. Via Dolorosa (“You have the body"). 9.20 minutes.
Once again the poet walks around the city in the company of an unaware witness. This time with Javier Mariscal, a Spanish photographer.

III sequence
An ironical comment of the inaccuracy of names or dates in the historical description. For example, America was named after Americus Vespucci and not Christophera after Christopher Columbus, discoverer of the continent.

Corpus Delictus: Relics (“body of crime”). 9 minutes. With Claudia Perez, a Chilean-Swedish photographer, (scenes from Malaga). And Javier Mariscal, a Spanish photographer (scenes from Seville). 9 minutes.

Installation
Under a television hangs a traditional canvas, 90x60 centimeters, with the “mandas” (offerings) from the Holy Mother’s believers. Two candles and some incense surround this sanctuary.