Catherine S. Ramírez defined Chicanafuturism in “Deus ex Machina: Tradition, Technology, and the Chicanafuturist Art of Marion C. Martinez” as Chicano craft that reflects the influence of the modern world on tradition and through it redefines what it means to be human. I appreciated the narration of New Mexico’s history that came before we touched on the actual concept. It was successful in creating a natural transition to the culmination of what Chicanafuturism is. Personally, I think it is only logical that as time progresses our identities shift, or more accurately we are forced to react.
The manner in which Martinez engages in Chicanafuturism is by blending the past religious history of New Mexico, the retablos and bultos, with the current concentration of technology and research. Oratorio a la Virgencita is a perfect example of this blend, depicting the religious symbol (Martinez is a devout person) with the disregarded materials around her, circuit boards most prominently.
Additionally, a comment of Martinez that caught my attention was that she considers her work to be folk. Now, this caught my attention because generally people avoid this label (though personally I do not see anything wrong with it, unless it is being used as a discrimnation tactic) and because she further explained it is because she uses what is around her, which in her case also includes technology. This is an approach that I had never considered before, and I think I will be adopting it in the future. Additionally, I believe it complements the idea behind Chicanafuturism that it is creating out of lived experience.
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