Projects - Proyectos
"Gargantas" (2025)
Materials: Copper pipes.
Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 4 ft.
About the work.
Gargantas is an installation composed of three copper structures that sprout from the floor of the water fountain at the sunken garden at 40-50 W Schiller. The piece was conceived with the intention of creating an imaginary extension of the disregarded pipe rooms within an inhabited building, slipping into the central point of this complex. As its title suggests, Throats in English, they function simultaneously as an inlet and an outlet, emerging with the purpose of allowing these underground lines to interact within a new scenario.
This piece was shown in Sunken Garden, part of the 2025 Chicago Architecture Biennial SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change organized by Alexis de Chaunac and Brooke Hummer. The exhibition takes place in the courtyard of a 1922 Andrew Rebori–designed building in Chicago and explores the poetic and political significance of a “sunken garden” as both a refuge and a metaphor.
Photos by Brook Hummer.
Video documentation by Sage Shu Tzu Lin and Mauricio López F.
"Wind Reenactment" (2025)
About the work.
Wind Reenactment, my first solo exhibition, was presented in June 2025 as part of Comfort Station’s annual open call in Chicago, USA. All of the works were created between February and June of that year.
Exhibition statement
Possession is an impulse that quickly settles into control. Inevitably, what is not understood is captured, examined, and when it presents some exploitable quality, it becomes a tool, a possibility. Wind is a strongly romanticized element, allowing heroism to be injected into moments that might otherwise seem tasteless. At the same time, its manifestation has a revealing quality. It dusts off what is latent and shows us that our environment is not pristine—that there is the precarious, the hidden, the forgettable, the unfixed. This duality forces its will upon us; we cannot stop it—it is there whether for our convenience or not. We can try to simulate it in forced controlled conditions, but it is well known that that’s not wind.
The exhibition consists of three exemplary objects— Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 3. Each one aims to recreate, with different processes and materiality, the tensions between misinformation and the drive to capture.
Photos by María Burundarena.
Video documentation for Fig. 1 and 2 by Mauricio López F.
Video documentation for Reencarnación del viento by Elijah Valter.
Fig. 1
Materials: Handrail, mechanism, miniature flag, and toggle switch.
Dimensiones: 45.67 x 3.54 x 48.82 in.
Fig. 2
Materials: Case, loudspeaker, audio recording, acrylic, cement, miniature flag, and toggle switch.
Dimensions: 13.78 x 24.41 x 16.14 in.
Fig. 3
Materials: Photograph, printed flag, flagpole, wood, acrylic, and toggle switch.
Dimensions: 59.06 x 43.31 x 1.97 in.
Unlisted
Materials: Cement, concrete, and metal.
Dimension: 2 x 2 x 2 in.
Set of six pieces.
Reencarnación del viento (performances)
In the context of the exhibition Wind reenactment, Reencarnación del viento was an activation that shifted the focus from objects to the body. In dialogue with the works on view, the collectives Polvos Rojos (Gabriela Estrada Loochkartt and Pablo Lazala Ruiz) and Ppppaaarrrkkkk 公. 園 pppaaarrrquuuE (Sage [Shu Tzu] Lin and Alejandra Ramos) presented two new performances.
Reviews and essays
“Recently at Comfort Station he presented “Wind Reenactment,” a solo show that utterly, magnificently, hilariously fails to do what it titularly claims. This is not because López F. was unsuccessful at building machines in the service of his goals, but because faking the wind is a ludicrous proposition (…)“
Lori Waxman (Chicago Reader) read the full review here.
“(…) Wind Reenactment carries power dynamics that surface gradually through its conceptual syntax. The work stages stark, often satirical responses to heightened and miniature conditions. It suggests that agency is entangled with an awareness of proportion-sometimes deeply out of balance-and that action may reside just as much in symbolic observation as in decisive intervention”.
Noé Cuéllar (Future Vessel) read the full essay here.
"También tienes que venir mañana / You also need to come tomorrow" (2025)
Materials: Traffic cones, work zone, safe zone, movement mechanisms, concrete, glass, metal, and wood.
Dimensions (each cone): 25 x 17 x 17 in.
Movement zone: 8 x 8 ft. variable.
About the work.
During February and March 2025, I presented two of my works at the SAIC galleries as part of the Graduate Exhibition. As a thesis presentation, this show represents the most significant body of work I have produced in recent months.
The exhibited artworks were: “También tienes que venir mañana / You also need to come tomorrow”, a kinetic installation in which six moving traffic cones seek to complicate the boundaries between a safe and a dangerous zone, pushing us to interact with it in a constantly unbalanced space. Likewise, the continuous motion of the cones absurdly reflects the perpetuity of labor, a sequence of actions that only demand to be performed and not questioned. And “60625”, a sound sculpture that recreates the sonic environment of my residential building. Constructed using found objects and sounds, this assemblage allows sound to traverse from one point to another, penetrating thin walls and erasing any sense of privacy for the residents.
I want to thank everyone who was part of the different stages of development of these works: Camila López, Dan Miller, Ellen Rothenberg, Juan Angel Chavez, Lou Mallozzi, Lori Waxman, Maria Gaspar, Nic Collins, Oliver Y. Shao, Pascale Larré, Robb Drinkwater, Shawn Decker, Tirtza Even, Whitney Johnson, and Yoko Lee.
This project was supported in part by a grant from The Mitchell Foundation, administered through Art and Technology / Sound Practices at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Video and photo documentation by A. Piriyapokanon and Mauricio López F.
This exhibition was featured by Six Inches from Center through the animated comic “El Sonido es mi Brújula” created by artist Carlos Matallana, which reenacts a conversation we had during the show. Click here to read the full article.
Ars Electronica - PANIC - yes/no (2025)
This installation was presented in a new format at the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria, as part of the edition “PANIC – yes/no.”. The exhibition was curated by Benedetta Minardi and presented at the University of Art and Design Linz. This project was supported, in part, by the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant and the Art and Technology / Sound Practices department at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Photos by Steffen Reichter.
During the last day of the exhibition, the piece was installed in the main square of Linz (Hauptplatz), generating new interactions in public space. This was carried out with the help and support of Kika Echeverría and Carlos Sfeir.
Video documentation by Carlos Sfeir and Mauricio López F.
"60625" (2024)
Materials: Recordings of an inhabited apartment, amplifications system, speakers, card catalog drawers, stool, steel pipes, and steel sheet.
Dimensions: 24 x 24 x 75.5 in.
Duration: 12 min.
About the work.
Soon after our arrival from Santiago de Chile to Chicago, USA, we were struck by the sounds of one of the two apartments that accepted our papers. Everything in it creaked; sounds traveled and filtered through the enclosure, giving us intimate information about our neighbors, whether we wanted it or not. Our behavior was influenced by the space, leading to various interactions, both rhythmic and narrative. Although we live in the same structure and share the same walls, our stories are unique, and how we catalogue our lives are different.
During 2025, 60625 has been presented at SAIC Galleries, Expo Chicago 2025, and at the celebration of the 30th anniversary of SITE Gallery curated by Matthew Cortez.
Video and photo documentation by A. Piriyapokanon and Mauricio López F. Except EXPO Chicago (Eugene Tang) and SITE gallery (Mikey Mosher).
EXPO Chicago (2025)
SITE gallery (2025)
"Realistic" (2025-XXXX)
Materials: “Realistic” speaker box, photograph, and a Chilean 10 pesos coin.
Dimensions: 3.74 x 2.95 x 3.54 in.
About the work.
Blending photography with found objects, this series of works seeks to tensions the relationship between the selfishness of the flash and the fixed physicality of an object. “Realistic” forms part of an ongoing series of micro-artifacts that explore the physical manifestation of urban spaces and how enclosure reshapes experiential encounters.
"Esponjas" (2024-XXXX)
About the work.
“Esponjas” is a live, cooperative installation and performance that relies on the active involvement of both the audience and the space. Three portable recorders are used during the piece: one is handed to the audience so they can record whatever they wish, another is used by the performer to capture sounds in the space that are perceived as interesting, and a third continuously records everything from the beginning of the performance. A graphic score device is used to create a visual structure of the room. All recorded sounds are then collected and individually assigned to separate speakers, which are distributed throughout the space—leading to the alteration of the environment and the people around us through unconventional listening procedures.
Photos by Maya Nguyen.
Video documentation at Elastic arts by Mauricio López F.
Video documentation at ION Gallery by Kyriakos Apostolidis.
Live at / En vivo en Elastic Arts, Chicago, IL, USA.
Live at / En vivo en ION Gallery, Kansas City, MO, USA.
"Perceptual Spatial Sonic Measuring Device" (2024)
About the work.
This object is created for the subjective measurement of how sound—and the physical components related to it—are reacting in a specific space. The goal is to generate a visual comparison based on the acoustic perception of what is being measured and the creative objectives that are being addressed. Therefore, this tool will allow for a graphical observation of how these elements behave. It can be used both by artists working with sound and by anyone who simply enjoy this type of experience.
"Cazado con estrategias no sofisticadas/hunted with unsophisticated strategies " (2024)
About the work.
This piece depict the moments after being unjustly struck by something: a knife, a tooth, or an insult. All of this spills onto a piano that “plays by itself,” seeming to struggle for autonomy, when in reality, it’s being more controlled than ever. For that, I used a mixed technique of sending and returning MIDI signals, blending organic ideas played on the piano and then digitized, in contrast with completely quantized elements coming from the MIDI to the instrument. This concert was curated by Sam Anthem and hosted by The School of the Arts Institute of Chicago and Experimental Sound Studio.
"Repite después de mí/repeat after me" (2024)
About the work.
The piece was built around the historical relationship between repetition and spirituality, where various call-and-response strategies create an intriguing duality between collectivity and hierarchy. In this way, all attendees received the graphic score before the performance, with no further explanation, allowing both the title and the graphic linearity to guide the interactivity. In this context, the graphic score became a device for activating the complex cultural heritage of repetition in an unknown live setting.
Live at the National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago, IL, USA.
"How to pop a balloon" (2024)
About the work.
This project originated in the class “Sound, Performance, and Land” by Whitney Johnson and Raven Chacon at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The research focused on the space of the Lincoln Park Conservatory, where various activations took place. In this context, together with Liz Flood and Sam Anthem, we developed a framework titled “How to Pop a Balloon,” which unfolded in different formats.
First, through a series of performances at the {Re}HAPPENING festival of Black Mountain College in North Carolina and Chicago. It also took the form of a spatial audio installation in the Florasonic system, curated by Experimental Sound Studio, at the Lincoln Square Conservatory. Finally, an edited vinyl piece was created under the album title “In Relation to Ferns.”
“In relation to Ferns” audio track:
"Sobre apreciar los malentendidos/About appreciating misunderstandings" (2023)
About the work.
This piece was born as an attempt to materialize a situation we witnessed on a bus in Chicago. In this context, the clash of different languages and the confusion of translation gave rise to an uncomfortable yet flavorful scene. The initial sketches took the form of precarious notes to capture what was observed, then it was translated into sound. To achieve this, I used a percussive treatment of the guitar based on the resonance of its open strings. I altered these by creating two groups of tunings (each consisting of 3 consecutive strings) in such a way that these would vibrate according to the part of the body that has been hit. On the other hand, the recited voice plays a game of question and answer with an automated translation. This robotic attempt aims to exemplify everything that is lost when translating ideas from the native language to acquired ones. The graphic score arises as a result of some guiding drawings I made during the composition process, and with the idea of not wasting any material, it seemed like a good opportunity to open up its interpretation. Thanks to Sarah Lutkenhaus, who not only helped me with the best strategies for illustrating my ideas but also with the layout of the score.
Live at High Concept Labs , Chicago, IL, USA.
"Himno" (2022-XXXX)
About the work.
Himno is a series of electroacoustic performances where the performer’s body merges with the monochord, intertwining the relationship between sound sources and expectations. The instrument undergoes various acoustic, physical, and digital interventions, generating intriguing conversations between material, resonances, and processes. Each performance is unique, exploring different expressive possibilities of this relationship through improvisation.
Live at Asian Improv aRts Midwest, Chicago, IL, USA.
Live at Carmen Studio, Santiago, RM, Chile.
"ANDER: Resistencia Cultural en el Trolley y Matucana 19" (2022)
About the work.
ANDER is a multimedia exhibition designed by José Délano and curated by Juan José Santos that portrays two emblematic spaces of the Chilean underground culture of the eighties. These places were key to artistic and recreational development in times of dictatorship. This exhibition was praised by critics on the Artforum.com site and on prominent chilean platforms such as Artishockrevista.com.
In this project I was in charge of the implementation of sound and image. Due to the hybrid nature of the exhibition, we had to use different devices to achieve the expected result. There are a total of 25 raspberry pi that are connected to projectors, CRT TVs and LCD screens. For the sound, we use headphones and build 6 custom-made directional speakers that hang from the ceiling. This allowed us to generate different acoustic atmospheres, reminiscent of the ambient sounds of the bohemian spaces of that time.
The exhibition was held at the National Museum of Fine Arts of Chile and Matucana 100.
