GATEWAY-ÄL

How can spirituality survive in the digital age? “Gateway-äl” explores this question by connecting the Mayan shamanic worldview with cyberspace, focusing on the Häch Winik community of the Lacandona jungle. The project thematizes the influence of Mayan shamanism on technology developers of the 1970s, which still operates in the way we use the Internet as a tool of “interconnection”, similar to the role of the shaman “Way-äl” (in Mayan ), who mediates between spiritual dimensions.

The project creates a 3D virtual environment inspired by the sacred Mayan caves, simulating a spiritual portal to the ancestors, a metaphor for cultural identity. This virtuality proposes a space of memory and continuity for a culture in danger of extinction, highlighting how technology can be both a tool for the preservation and erosion of ancestral traditions.

Additionally, “Gateway-äl” delves into the contemporary issues faced by the Häch Winik community, who experience the loss of their culture under the influence of technology. Instead of strengthening their identity, access to the Internet has pushed young people towards globalized content, disconnecting them from their own heritage. This technological phenomenon, which for more than 50 years has threatened the survival of their spiritual tradition, represents a continuous challenge to one of the last resistances of an ancestral worldview that dates back directly to the ancient Mayans.

A collaborative XR experience, inspired by Fabian Ramírez @fabian_ramz body of work.
3D environment & architecture by Cristian Anutoiu @b4cterija
art sound & performances: Ana Paula Santana @anafauna & Un rêve @flores_de_mezcalapa
Sound design by Terdegibh @terdegibh
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