Killamanta Kutimusaq (To the Moon and Back) (2006)

Commissioned by the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT

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This installation features a ¾-scale model of the Apollo 11, wrapped in a satellite image depicting Puerto Maldonado and the surrounding Peruvian rainforest, including the Manu and Madre de Dios rivers. The title "Killamanta Kutimusaq" comes from the Quechua language, meaning "To the Moon and Back."

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The sound component consists of six strategically placed speakers. The central speakers, mounted at the top of the structure, play Icaros (medicine songs) performed by Don Ignacio during an Ayahuasca ceremony. Four additional speakers, positioned in the corners of the courtyard, emit rainforest sounds recorded near Don Ignacio's home in Infierno, a village 20km south of Puerto Maldonado. The arrangement creates a dialogue between the ceremonial songs and ambient forest sounds.

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The work draws from the knowledge of Don Ignacio Duri Palomeque, a master ayahuasquero (healer) from Infierno. Known as one of the last "plant dreamers," Don Ignacio's deep understanding of jungle botanicals led to the discovery of several previously unknown plant species through his practice of receiving revelations from plant spirits about their properties and locations.