Palingenesis

Palingenesis was created after an invitation by the Comité Casa Klumb to a group of artists who work with different mediums. The basic idea was to create an artwork based on reflections about the house and its surroundings, which were developed by the renowned architect, Henry Klumb, in the heart of Río Piedras between 1949 and 1986. The house and the three acres of land that surround it – today, in a state of disrepair – are a repository of historical periods cohabiting in silence, right in the middle of the city. Palingenesis was conceived based on the interpretation given to this term in alchemy. According to this philosophical practice, the ashes of incinerated plants keep the memory of their original form and, through a series of particular processes, can regain it. The installation is composed of leaves gathered in areas adjacent to Casa Klumb (periphery of the house, inside border and exterior border of its land). These leaves were placed between two glass sheets that were then heated on high temperatures. The ashes of the leaves, preserved between the molten sheets of glass, keep their original shape. If the sheets were to be separated, the leaves would disintegrate immediately. As part of its concept, the artwork uses the exact measurements of Casa Klumb’s “tormentera” (storm shelter), built in the basement of the house, which the architect considered “the seed” of the structure. This second showing of Palingenesis takes it away from its place of origin, and following the poetic line that sustains it, opens itself to new interpretations and reflections about the nature of memory; the will to be meaningful; the pleasure of storytelling; the gift of reenactment. Installation structure design: Arch. Enrique Vivoni Farage (Comitée Casa Klumb) and Dhara Rivera / Construction of the structure: Víctor Lugo