On Wednesday, April 24 at 5 p.m., the Gallery QI hosts an opening night event for “Lienzo de Piedra” / “Canvas of Stone” from visual artist Fabio Esteban Amador in QI’s Atkinson Hall.

“Lienzo de Piedra” / “Canvas of Stone” is a photographic journey through the Pool Tunich cave system of Quintana Roo, Mexico. These images were taken during a month-long expedition through the system, captured in a vibrant palette of light and shadow intended to evoke the qualities and values of the caves’ historical use and cultural significance. Photographs of cave features intermingle with a navigable projection of LIDAR point clouds that recreate the system in 3D.

The Maya viewed the cave as an entrance or portal to the Underworld, a real and mythological place that provided the substance for life, ritual and vision. Today, these spaces exist in close proximity to large-scale infrastructure projects. Through a union of art and technology, “Lienzo de Piedra” / “Canvas of Stone” is part of an ongoing effort to document and preserve this part of Mexico’s cultural heritage for posterity.

Over the course of his work in the region, Amador has collaborated with researchers at the UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute, and the stewards of the cave, Grupo Rio Secreto, with the support of El Centro Investigador del Sistema Acuífero de Quintana Roo (CINDAQ) and Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History.