The Milky Way on Earth
Site-Specific Intallation. San Vicente do Burgo church. Proposal for the Connexio Awards 2020, Spain.
The oldest European traditions have described to us the deep relationship between the Camino de Santiago and the Milky Way, some even going so far as to identify them.
Centuries of history tell us how this 'path of the stars' guided pilgrims on their way to the tomb of the Apostle. The earthly path and the heavenly path were intertwined.
In this installation, hundreds of bells make up a floating galaxy in the middle of the San Vicente do Burgo nave. This visual and softly audible cloud will greet the pilgrim and the visitor as soon as they enter the church.
The installation can be bordered, without touching it, or crossed, caressing the bells with the hands, in a gesture that seeks to evoke the soft sound of the bells with the tinkling of the stars in the sky. Furthermore, with the church open, the slight air currents will create an undulating effect throughout the entire complex.
This work seeks not only the representation on Earth of the Milky Way as an image of the Path; It also seeks to identify the millions of stars that make up the galaxy with the millions of pilgrims who throughout history have travelled the paths that lead to Santiago.
