A Place Called Music is a documentary about the unlikely musical encounter between Daniel Medina, a traditional Wixárika violinist from the mountains of Jalisco, Mexico, and Philip Glass, renowned composer from New York City. The film follows live rehearsals and performances across prominent venues in Mexico and New York — music that has only ever been heard in Wixárika ceremonial gatherings, now joined for the first time by a grand piano.
Daniel and Philip come from vastly different worlds and don't share a common language. What they share is something harder to name: a place where their spirits understand each other.
The idea behind this second poster of the film was to explore the possibilities of having a poster made entirely by a Wixarika yarn painting artist. We commissioned the piece to Maximino Rentería de la Cruz, who made this piece with the help from his wife Yolanda Díaz Medina in Nayarit. Maximino’s only request from us was: he had to include three musicians: Daniel Medina, Erasmo Medina and Philip Glass, each with their instrument.
The work should be read in a circular manner. It tells the story of the pilgrimage of the musicians to the desert in Real de Catorce. According to their tradition, both Marakames (shamans) and musicians looking for the gift of music have to carry out the pilgrimage to the sacred lands around Real de Catorce, to bring offerings to their deities. The main deities represented in the painting are Grandfather Fire —displayed at the center— with Father Sun at the top, pouring his sunbeams —represented as drops of light— throughout the whole piece. On the right hand side we can see Tatéi Yurienaka, also known as Mother Earth, giving her blessings over the offerings that she is receiving, which are the bowl (jícara) with the corn and the arrows. To the left we see the shaman, his power sticks (muvieris) and above the grown corn as a gift of life, and lastly, the sacred deer Tamatz Kahullumari, holder of the spiritual wisdom, offering his life to the higher deities. At his side, the sacred cacti Hikuri which is also an important part of the Wixarika cosmogony.
At the bottom, adjacent to the native musicians, we can see a non-traditional image: a musician playing the piano. This serves as a tribute to the collaboration of Philip Glass with the Wixárika musicians, who are seen wearing the traditional hats of the Jicareros (pilgrims to the blue land). If we look closer, we can notice the sound waves (or energy) coming out from both, the pianist and his piano, representing the music he was given out of his heart connection with the Wixarika and their deities.
Finally, if we observe from top to bottom, we can see that there is a light progression in the piece. We depart for a bright red, which represents the sun set and which gradually goes dark, representing night time.