Artist
Zipporah Camille Thompson

Project Title
Cielos Noches

Grant Amount
$2,000

Website
http://www.zipporahcamille.com/

Project Description

Cielos Noches is a research and development project that fuses the research of traditional Zapotec weaving methods and Zapotec black pottery traditions of Oaxaca, Mexico.  The title Cielos Noches is of Spanish origin and translates to “Night Skies” or “Night Heavens”. Through symbols, naturally dyed materials, and history, traditional Zapotec weaving methods will be researched and explored, as well as the black pottery craft or “Barro Negro” from the San Barolo Coyotepec region in Oaxaca.  This black pottery echoes the blackness of the cosmos and of the night sky. The fusion of weavings and black pottery will culminate in a series of sculptural works that will serve as ceremonial healing amulets.  

Cielos Noches aims to unite and to cultivate harmony between cultures via universals, the cosmos, and the night sky.  This cultivation of harmony seeks to conceptually begin to repair relations between the United States and Mexican immigrants (amongst others). By delving into the cosmos and into our positioning as humans playing a microscopic role in a much larger macrocosm, this project will look to the metaphysical realm to aid in healing and nurturing public relations between countries, as well as to re-propagate acceptance of various groups of immigrants and foreign cultures.