At Rectifie Theater – Center for Research in Mixed Performing Arts.
This is a performance that combines theater, dance, and video art. In it, Luis Ibar—director of Cartaphilus Teatro—collaborates with the actors on a reflective exploration of the theoretical and scientific processes of memory, contrasting them with emotional memory. It is also a journey through the director’s personal memories, spanning his 30-year career as a creator and performer. He retrieves and draws from memory scenes and dances from all the works he has created—the “ashes” of the aesthetic and the profound—capturing whatever remains alive and latent in his artistic evolution.
The result is a performance with a beautiful, meticulously crafted aesthetic and a wonderful undertone of nostalgia. The *Ashes-Flowers* is a performance created to honor and pay tribute to our departed loved ones. The play is dedicated to the memory of “Mamá Julia” (Luis’s shaman), Raúl and Dalia (the grandparents of Yered, the actor), and Max (the father of Kathleen, the actress). It unfolds as a “mushroom trip,” recalling memories of our loved ones and reflecting on gratitude for their lessons, rather than grief over their deaths. It connects with the Mexican perspective on death—the way we try to remember those who have left us by celebrating their legacy and their “flowers,” rather than mourning their loss.
At the same time, it is deeply connected to our Mexican roots—through the costumes, the use of colors and objects, as well as the magical atmosphere that surrounds the ritual aspects of our culture. The performance is, in and of itself, a psychedelic journey, where everyone can cherish their own memories and honor their deceased loved ones; you can embark on your own journey of nostalgia and remembrance, finding joy in who you are and in those who lived and were part of your life. *Ashes Flowers* is a performance about death and transformation—exactly what a psilocybin ceremony does to our sense of self.
Ashes “Flowers” | Cartaphilus Teatro
Tuesday, September 22, 9:30 p.m.
Rectifie Theater – Center for Research in Mixed Performing Arts
