The Mountains Wore Down to the Valleys

The Mountains Wore Down to the Valleys is a collaborative sound and visual installation by New Mexican artists Adri De La Cruz and Marisa Demarco. The multi-phase exhibition begins and ends with a sound experience that transforms over the course of 72 hours as 21 musical compositions on vinyl records erode over time.  A thick etched record features multigenerational interviews with De La Cruz’s family members. This record documents Love, community, generational strength and resiliency. On the unused side of 8 records are hand etched portraits of the interviewees (De La Cruz’s family) that are displayed visually after the 72hrs.

21 of the records are an audio composition (representing hardship) created and recorded by Marisa Demarco. All 21 compositions are titled to create a poem written by Demarco. All records are played at once, over the 72 hr time period the compositions erode and eventually the only audio playing is the family interview record. This auditory process is representational of one family’s perseverance and resilience.

Record players are displayed on pedestals that create a sculptural outline of the Sandia Mountains as seen from Albuquerque, New Mexico De La Cruz’s and Demarco’s hometown. 

All components symbolize connections to home/ community. 

De La Cruz’s and Demarco’s intention is to highlight one family’s lineage as a means to mirror the lineage of other Brown families in New Mexico. The perseverance and resourcefulness of our collective families endures to give strength and support for future generations.