Corn Baby
stop motion and audio composition, 00:01:09, April 2025
Los abuelos taught me la magica de las plantas. The process and transformation of the seed. Through dedication, becoming something which nourishes you. Unwrapping the corn during harvest is so exciting for me, seeing the little baby hiding inside. Especially when you are growing blue, red and pink corn. It’s such a surprise to wait and see. I enjoyed creating this soundscape. A layering of rain, viejitas singing, synth, the cabador striking the earth, the sound of my abuelo’s voice guiding me through the planting process. The sounds of this piece are so vital to the oral tradition in my culture. My grandpa’s generation was the last to see Chimayó in a time of agriculture. When communities would make each other’s adobe homes, plant and harvest red chile, stringing it in trenzas and ristras along their houses. In so many way I ache knowing I couldn’t have seen these lands 50 years ago, maybe 100; the land more pure in certain ways, I’m sure more tainted in others. I see how living with the cycles, the harvest and the moon are good for our people. For our health, in our body’s, minds and spirits. To eat from the land, to feed each other. These traditions aren’t as easy to pass on in a modern world. Where nuclear colonization has monopolized the economy, making it one of the only secure jobs to feed a family. Despite the ugly demands of capitalism I continue to say these prayers with the land, which I’ve learned from my elders. His final words, “We are going to have a good harvest,” is something he repeats every time we plant seeds into the earth. His words speak to the seeds, the plants as they grow. As we tend, we express trust and gratitude to the land.
The church song, heard in the background, places our practice within a larger cultural and spiritual framework. Growing up, the church always felt oppressive to me, contributing to layers of shame I intend to shed, to break the cycles of violence the church have caused to these lands. Starting internally. Prayer exists within el Gran Espiritu. However, Chimayó is internationally known for it’s churches, the healing soil, land and water. Many people in and around these lands carry a deep spirituality and devotion. Including myself. The sounds of the viejitas singing allow me to teleport in a metaphysical way. Beyond being physically in the church, or with my grandpa, there’s a resonance I wanted to include in the background of the soundscape, it felt like a lifeline for the piece. I layered the singing on top sound of the cabador scraping the earth. Emphasizing the physical aspect of this tradition and how much labor is put into each harvest.
written, animated and scored by Isabella Romero.