Accompaniment
(Maastricht / Boschstraat 84)
Oscar Santillan (1980, Ecuador) does not start off from a crystallized concept but rather acts on impulses. Hence his works develop in unknown directions. Coincidence is a principal guideline. In his oeuvre everyday objects or facts take up central stage. Through Santillan’s manipulations they become extraordinary.
Accompaniment is literally an ode on a falling tree leaf. The video work shows images of a luscious forest where musicians in a band are lined up. They aim their gazes at the foliage and wait. The very moment the viewer wonders whether any scene at all will unfold, a light breeze has made a leaf to swirl down. At once the band starts playing but as soon as the leaf touches the dirt the music stops. The dropping leaf, an insignificant event, becomes a momentous act thanks to the accompaniment of the band.