HUACA

In 1988, I told Bob that watching patterns on the screen was great, but I wanted to be immersed in infinite patterns. Bob suggested we build a giant kaleidoscope. He suggested we use front-surfaced, which means that when you put your finger on them, there is no space between your finger and its reflection. Front-surfaced mirrors are used in telescopes and specific cameras. We designed a five-foot kaleidoscope with a triangular nine-inch peephole because Bob calculated that the 6 to 1 ratio would give us the most reflections. When I looked inside the kaleidoscope, it appeared that the patterns extended out almost into infinity!

When we put SpaceLace inside the five-foot kaleidoscope, the effect was transcendent.

In 1989, I wanted to create an altar, a personal shrine that honored the various threads of my life. I tried to weave together the indigenous Andean culture's designs and worldview with the colonial period's architecture, along with a high-tech, five-foot kaleidoscope reflecting the patterns from the computer screen.

I created an architectural structure seven feet high by eight feet wide and three feet deep. It was painted green, purple, orange, and blue, the same colors as the Apple II. Stenciled designs of Bolivian weaving patterns were symmetrically placed on the structure. My goal for this installation was to seamlessly combine these disparate elements to give me a feeling of integrity. I wanted to transcend the conflict I felt between my passion for Bolivia and personal computers.

"Huaca" was shown in several shows in the Bay Area, including at the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art at the 25th Anniversary Show in 1992, at the Euphrat Gallery at De Anza College in Cupertino, and the Mexican Museum in San Francisco during an exhibit Xicano Progeny.

There is little documentation because the early Apple II days were before the World Wide Web.

Huaca will be exhibited as part of Digital Capture Link.

Refurbishing Huaca by Marcus FitzGerald