Cosmic Mirror depicts different kinds of portals: mirrors, water, and axes. It establishes dialogues with different points in time through the portal as cosmography. She who inhabits this space is the embodiment of Mami Wata, Lilith, Santa Marta, and a Gagá queen, and is born anew through symbolic association. As her dress slowly stains red, it mirrors the red dress of the Gagá queens—associated with loas Petwo, spirits of anger, intensity, and volatility, but also regeneration.

The short film was shot in Queen Caroline’s Temple in Hyde Park: its simple distribution, three arches and a white interior lends itself to a space of magic and mirrors. The video features natural sounds which slowly transform to a soundscape of polyrhythms in an overlapped soundtrack of “Rituál”, by Cuban composer Tania León, and a Dominican salve field-recorded by Verna Gillis. The superimposition of orchestral and folk sounds paints a preview of how these could be conceived together for contemporary performances and films.

Credits:

Concept, Art , and Direction: Ana Reyes Cid

Camera: Farah Khafagy