Hydrohexagrams (For Tahuata)

Hydrohexagrams (For Tahuata) is a multipart work which draws on the traditional Chinese divination method I Ching to consult the oceans. The ancient script upon which the divinatory prophecies are read originated during the Western Zhou period (1046–771 BCE) and is interpreted by casting a set of three coins six times to create a hexagram pointing to the revelatory passages in the book.

In the Pacific village of Hapatoni on the Marquesan Island of Tahuata, Eduardo Navarro invited the local community to use the I Ching divination method to pose a question to the ocean by throwing three coins into the waves six times. In preparation for this consultation, the village decided on the question: Will the solidarity and generosity of our ancestors be transmitted to future generations? The village then composed a song based on their interpretation of the oracle, set to the oldest chant of Hapatoni, whose melody is inspired by the waves of the sea. An I Ching set stayed behind in Hapatoni as a public artwork displayed in the Artisan Museum as a divination tool for future use in the villages of Tahuata.

Navarro’s series of drawings, created during the TBA21–Academy expedition to the Marquesas in 2016, serve as preparatory sketches for the larger project. These works contemplate worldviews that extend beyond land-based knowledge systems and permanence, embracing the dynamic rhythms of tides, the fluxes of water, and the intelligence of the ocean.

(Text written by TBA21 and used as a wall label for the exhibition "Remedios", C3A, Cordoba, 2023)