dreamcraft / encuentros oníricos

is a research project initiated by Erika Sprey, and extending their wxtchcraft, earthcraft series (KABK, 2020-2023). 

In March ‘25, with the generous support of the Amarte Foundation, Erika has invited artist, curator and abre caminos Antonio Monroy to envision and collaborate on a recurring event: a yearly cosmopolitical dream school or encuentro onírico through the engagement with and celebration of a small and humble part of Mexico’s vast patrimonio onírico. This initiative lies at the intersection of art, philosophy, social sciences, anthropology, and situated shamanic practices, and hopes to contribute to the reclaiming and reevaluation of rejected knowledges and rewriting of Western epistemologies from within and without.

The gathering will be divided into three parts: Mexico City, the Sierra Otomí, and the southern mountain range of the Valley of Mexico, where we will meet grandmothers, curanderas, cooks, architects, anthropologist, and many other dream workers in thei different (im)material landscapes.

Myself and Laura Valencia Lozada were invited as core researchers. 

The project took place again in March 2026, with additional participating artist and researcher Felicitas Stilleke and funds from PAC Mexico. I spent time in the volcano region on the Puebla/Mexico border, where I carried out embodied research of encounter with volcanoes Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, and interviewed artist Tania Ximena. We shared our experiences of working with living entities such as volcanos and rivers, and the initiatory power of these beings. On return from Mexico I turned my footage and interview material into a film, with support from Screen South (UK).