Guatemalan pottery, is as much a visual art form as it is an olfactory experience. The best tortillas are of black corn prepared over a clay kil, and served alongside a sek of spicy and smoky lol beans. The earthy taste from the bean pot and griddle are not easily replicated elsewhere. Whether the drink is kakaw, café, atol, o boj a fuller aroma is distinctive of being prepared in a kukb’. Worship and prayer carry the smell of incense and candle-smoke from mountain caves to the catedrál de Cobán. Even the rain fallen on the terra-cotta tiles of the townhouses or haciendas holds heartwarming memories.
In preparation for this project, I am seeking out these scent trails; gathering as many clues and tips on how to best guide the project when I get on the ground. Experiments in my own studio work, sketching maps of regional pottery styles, and researching deeper into the historical context I will be working in. Along the way I have encountered many brilliant minds, artists, professors and preachers. I look forward to working more closely with these people and with many others who I’ve not met yet.
Stay tuned as the journey begins.