Epitaph for Alberto Cardín is born from an atypical curatorship in which Mariokissme invites eight important personalities who develop their work within the field of theory, activism or visual arts regarding queer culture in Spain to participate in the production of a video-documentary as a final project of their master's thesis (tutored by María Ruido). They are Nazario, R. Marcos Mota, Cabello/Carceller, Fefa Vila, Sejo Carrascosa, Javier Ugarte Pérez, Pere Pedrals and Miguel Benlloch. Starting from the interview as a research method, Mario compiles a series of information regarding these concerns: Cutre-Transition, 80's, AIDS Crisis, Queer vs. Institution (Academy - museum) and Actuality/Future of critical practices.
Responding to a non-heteronormative pattern and serving as a link between one interview and another, Mariokissme introduces a series of micro-performances and sequences recorded in the classroom of "Anthropology of Art" at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Barcelona, where Cardín also taught the same subject before his early death from AIDS in 1992. His name (Alberto Cardín) does not appear in the video except and under his poetry and the title of the project. All the guests limit themselves to raise and question, through their work, the points that relate Mario's concerns to Cardín, making of Cardín a projection mirror of the "Cardinian" -as Mario calls him- figure-object.
Epitaph for Alberto Cardín is more than a documentary. It is a work process that was developed in other later projects already in collective with El Palomar. In fact, it is contextualized in close relation to the statement of the first years of the project. In addition, the video is interpreted in Spanish Sign Language (LSE). The making of this documentary, which is also aimed at a diversely functional public, such as the deaf-mute, is not without a very determined political conviction. It is possible to ally queer theory with crip theory (of recent birth). In fact, in recent years, there has been theorizing about the parallels between both theories from the point of view of sexuality. The crip theory, which we can literally translate as crippled theory, comes from the offensive term cripple, something like crippled. Totally linked to the term queer, which as many of us already know, is an insult in the Anglo-Saxon world. In addition to this, one of the fundamental issues addressed is alliances. Not only intergenerational but the alliances of very diverse people in relation to collectives. It is here where the support between different groups and people who fight politically for a revolution of the bodies, for the bodies, and in this case, from the bodies, is fundamental.
Interviews by order of appearance: Nazario Luque; R. Marcos Mota; Cabello/Carceller; Fefa Vila; Sejo Carrascosa; Javier Ugarte Pérez; Pere Pedrals; Miguel Benlloch
Production - Camera - Editing - Sound: Mariokissme
Sound Arrangement: Dani Espinet
LSE Interpreter: Rocío Casado
English Translation: Raffaella Bagnara
Credits design: R. Marcos Mota