Electrotextile Prehispanic Computer
Artistic research – Electromagnetic sound installation
Since 2017
“This project, by revitalizing these historically oppressed cultural technologies, challenges the dominant narratives imposed by colonialism. It brings to the present questions and uncertainties about our past, while opening up possibilities for more inclusive, fair, and sustainable technological imaginaries through Latin American artistic speculation.”
Artistic research delves into an ancient computing system used in pre-Columbian Andean cultures. In this system, information was knotted into strings and encoded in numerical values, following a binary and decimal system. Concealed within these threads lies a significance that transcends mere arithmetic, revealing stories of an ancient civilization. Due to its level of complexity, khipus are currently considered pre-Hispanic ecological computers, and their importance lies in their transcendental cosmic significance and the preservation of wisdom transmitted from our ancestors in South America.
The research led to the creation of a textile electromagnetic sound installation and an artist’s book.
The installation consists of an open-source textile computer inspired by the creation of an astronomical khipu. The installation itself embodies an open-source textile computer, drawing inspiration from the intricate design of an astronomical khipu. Crafted meticulously, it comprises a 6-meter diameter antenna formed by 180 ropes.
Each rope is painstakingly hand-spun, woven from a delicate blend of copper wire and alpaca wool.
These ropes are connected to an electronic circuit that amplifies and sonifies the electromagnetic fluctuations present at the installation site.
The piece is presented as an interactive sound installation, engaging with the audience or autonomously interacting with the electromagnetic data from its surroundings. Additionally, it can be a live sound performance played for the artist.
The encoded information within this khipu includes a spectral classification of the main stars of the Bootes constellation, situated in the mid-sky zenith during the production period of the piece.
Most khipus were burned by colonizers and their code remains undeciphered to this day. In this project, we aim to establish a poignant interaction with the audience through sound.
Thrus, Khipu is a sound and arts interpretation of the technology, wisdom and history of our ancestors, meant to express how the universe is governed by harmonious numerical proportions. What is heard in the installation is the amplification of the inaudible space, the echoes of specters traversing the void, a celestial symphony, the music of the spheres: the voice of silence.
