会议时间：3月21-22日

Abstract

Slingshots have existed for many generations in different regions and cultures around the world as a tool and small weapon for agricultural societies.  They are used traditionally by shepherds, farmers and rural children for entertainment, protection, hunting small prey and management of pests.

Slingshots were widely popularized in 1877, when the pneumatic tire was invented; however in the Mesoamerican region there is evidence of the use of rubber at least 3,000 years ago.  The Maya, Aztecs and Olmecs are known to have made rubber mixes using natural latex and other plant juices. 

Around the world, the Y shape is the most common, but in Mayan communities the sculptural carving of the bodies of slingshots has been a live art that reaches a high level of aesthetic sophistication. Maya Slingshots are authentic pieces of art with intricate details that become refined by use. Possible themes for carving are endless, from tribal or zoomorphic figures to modern icons. The carver of the slingshot has freedom of expression, to give personal touch with a large room for creativity. I have seen the work of artists that are obsessed with one particular subject, or endless varieties of motifs, from cultural traditions, local fauna, spiritual or religious iconography.

Maya textiles, pyramids, stone sculptures, astronomy and the calendar are all well studied. In contrast, hardly noticed, slingshots have been an important part of Mayan culture for centuries, a channel for the art of wood carving in popular and agricultural society. The context of imagination for creation is life experience and the ecosystem. Although their principal use is practical and utilitarian, for centuries slingshots have also been an accessible medium for artistic expression for artisans, common people and children in rural communities.

In different Mayan languages slingshots are known as Yum-tun, meaning owner of stones, or quiak-baal, the shooter. The Mayans have added an aesthetic dimension to the slingshot, combining techniques, skill, inspiration, imagination, environment and the system of representation to create symbols, figures and iconography relevant to time, space and history. Present in archaeological sites, modern markets and in use in rural homes, this popular object is an identifiable piece of cultural expression and identity. 


Speaker Biography

Mr. Luis Antonio YAT DE LEON 
Professor, artist, director, Canal Cultural Colectivo de Artistas, Guatemala

I grew up in a Mayan community in a family of weavers and farmers.  As a child making our own toys such as kites, slingshots and wood tops was a common practice.  There is an old tradition of sculpting slingshots into all kind of figures.  The earliest memory I have of making a toy by hand was of some kind of feline. I used a knife, glass and sand to polish. It was so evident that I had a talent at art, but I was told by my family and by the schools that art was a poor choice for my future. Also, art schools are scarce or inexistent where I live so I relied on celebrations to sculpt or building something for the school events. I remember Independence day in 8th grade when we entered a competition and spent weeks sculpting miniature replicas of important buildings like pyramids, churches and parks. 

In tech school I took carpentry class and from there on I have never stopped making my own furniture, building and sculpting with wood. I graduated as a primary teacher and moved to a bigger city for college, which was the most practical for my art expression, writing, and silk screening. I worked in a Spanish school, met hundreds of students and my broad vision of the world was affected. I also volunteered with internal refugees teaching cultural rights and traditional healing methods. I finished university with a B.A in international business, but the combination of my art, job and my social interest led me to be elected to do a slide show presentation about Guatemala and human rights in universities around the United States. After three consecutive years on my travels I had met the owner of a project that combines agriculture, education and arts.  

In 2001 I took a job at this company to conduct seminars, lead workshops, manage programs to educate the public of all ages on art, and organic agriculture. There I was able to build sculptures with live wood and also, every year since 2002, I make a giant wood sculpture out of scrap wood to burn. In 2003 I had the opportunity to work in a college specializing in arts and culture where I further enhanced my experience with teaching, combing culture, language, visual art and sculpture. 

In 2007 I started an art collective in Guatemala. We have made murals, carry out artistic events, sculpt giant rocks, train local teachers and promote, in any way I can, the arts in the Mayan rural communities. At this present time the art collective maintains an art school that gives scholarships to twenty kids talented in any visual art category. 

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