My in-progress and final installment, El Taller/Spirit Car: Life After Death, is a continuation of our previous installations, El Salon: Reimagining Self-Love, Rituals, and Healing in the Kitchen at the Boston Center for the Arts and El Bembé: Celebrating Life and Death en la Sala (location soon to be announced). This project will be a parting gift for my father, who passed away in 2005. Experimenting with delicate, sturdy, and unconventional materials, we aim to recreate my father's unfinished dream car.

In the early 80s, my father migrated from Puerto Rico to Boston. He quickly learned English from the streets and started to collect cars. He owned multiple cars throughout various stages of his life. As a backyard mechanic, he found peace in fixing and driving cars. When my father passed away, we kept his unfinished dream car wrapped under a tarp, but over time it rusted and had to be put in a scrap yard. My project will actualize his dream car.

El Taller/Spirit Car: Life After Death

The Spirit Car can drive through the cosmos and bring back loved ones while driving or sitting inside. I'll add elements from the island (e.g., banana leaves, coconuts, etc.) to the car and suspend the car from the ceiling. Inside the car will be a vehicle's manual to inform the audience of basic car and self-care maintenance tips. With illustrations on how to oil change a car, steps to mindfulness, and breathing techniques, this project will help others channel their own form of freedom, joy, and dreams.