A prueba de sentidos
(A test of the senses)

2007
Service work
Video / 3:33 min

This piece was a service provided to a person so that she may benefit financially from her mental state by doing what relaxes her the most.

Phobias lead to an irrepressible fear, and to unwanted behavior towards common objects or materials. Basilia Mendieta has an extreme fear of any objects that conduct an electric current. I proposed that she use her trauma as an efficient way to obtain an economic benefit and thus alleviate her financial hardships. Her needs, as a result, grew stronger than her own psyche. Taking advantage of the Christmas season, and taking into account her fondness for knitting, she suggested producing garlands to embellish Christmas trees, dressing the cables and colored bulbs with bells, canes, and woven dolls. Mendieta had the ability after a considerable production of garlands to sell them, successfully converting her phobia into a profitable endeavor.