Árboles de Botella

In Árboles de Botella, the artist creates an immersive sound installation that evokes the feeling of being surrounded by nature and memory. The installation features bare trees adorned with glass bottles, arranged within a floor of dry leaves to recreate the sensory experience of wandering through a grove. A subtle soundscape of clinking glass plays continuously, simulating the movement of wind through bottle trees and drawing the viewer deeper into the atmosphere of the piece.

This work draws on the artist’s childhood memories of growing up on an island where bottle trees were a common and symbolic presence. Often believed to ward off evil spirits and provide protection, bottle trees carry a rich cultural history, particularly across the Caribbean and the American South. The artist recalls being told that these trees held protective powers, stories that transformed everyday landscapes into spaces of quiet spiritual significance.

By reimagining this folkloric practice in a gallery setting, Árboles de Botella reflects on the connections between ritual, memory, and environment. The installation invites viewers to consider how objects rooted in tradition can carry both personal and communal meaning, and how sound and space can be used to evoke feelings of safety, nostalgia, and cultural continuity. Through this sensory landscape, the artist honors ancestral practices while grounding the work in lived experience.