Installation view (detail) of Cecilia Vicuña's "Disappeared Quipu"

For millennia, ancient peoples of the Andes created quipus (khipus)—complex record-keeping devices, made of knotted cords, that served as an essential medium for reading and writing, registering and remembering. New York–based Chilean artist and poet Cecilia Vicuña has devoted a significant part of her artistic practice to studying, interpreting, and reactivating the quipus, which were banned by the Spanish during their colonization of South America. Drawing on her indigenous heritage, Vicuña channels this ancient, sensorial mode of communication into immersive installations and participatory performances. “Disappeared Quipu” features a newly commissioned, site-specific installation by Vicuña that combines monumental strands of knotted wool with a four-channel video projection.