Pañuelos de Despedida

A goodbye necessarily establishes an ending and therefore usually implies a “letting go” that is not always easy. The same way handkerchiefs were carried in-hand during goodbyes at ports, I propose this ritualization of a farewell on a personalized handkerchief. Using water as a means of transport participants disssolve images of the past they have inscribed on their piece of cloth. Color stains and patterns emerge as a vestige of what was lived, a sort of shroud marked with the presence it held. Whether this is a happy, sad, calm or furious goodbye, we also celebrated what is carried for the future with indeleble markers and embroidery.

This project was carried out as a workshop/shared ritual in Mexico and Peru. These were held at different locations such as a museum, plazas, a home, a cultural centre and a women’s penitentiary.