Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti x Zalán Szakács: Becoming Mountain | AWICHAS

Dance, visuals, and performance merge with music, inspired by rituals from the Andes.

This special edition of WhyNot x BIMHUIS is centered around Becoming Mountain, the new immersive performance installation by artists Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti and Zalán Szakács, in collaboration with the band AWICHAS. Inspired by Phujllay, an ancient seasonal ritual from the Andes, sound, textiles, movement, and performance are interconnected. Cyclical sounds are translated into graphic scores, textile patterns, choreography, and hypnotic rhythms akin to today's club music.

In the Andes, there is a traditional belief in the inseparable bond between humans, nature, and unseen forces. Based on this worldview, Becoming Mountain invites us to rethink what we produce, how we communicate, and the influence we have on the ecosystems we are part of.

Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti consistently enchants our stage with her performances in bands like Mestizx, Ruidoscuro, and Superinca & the Galactic Green. She blends voice, dance, percussion, and electronics anew in the six-member AWICHAS. As a performer and installation artist, Zalán Szakács creates interactive environments that challenge perception. AWICHAS has already attracted attention at festivals such as Le Guess Who?, Rewire, and North Sea Jazz. The psychedelic folk/electronica ensemble, in addition to Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti, includes experimental musician Jochem van Tol, drummer Frank Rosaly, Nihiloxica percussionist Jacob Maskell-Key, composer Lida Brouskari, and artist/vocalist Julia Werner.