The Headless Headhunt

This augmented reality (AR) project presents an orayson ~ a special prayer, incantation or mantra that is recited before battle as a protective armor. It is a tradition in Filipino Martial Arts as a psychological tool used to attain invincibility in combat and for self-defense. It is believed to have magical powers that enables the user to do unbelievable feats, such as withstand bullets and weapon attacks, as well as heal injuries.

This Orayson has been co-authored by the Chrysalis Kali Collective - founded by Kristen Cabildo, including Katrina Cabanban, Princess Manuel, Noelle de la Paz, Nicole Reyes, Ezza Valdez, and Caroline Garcia (exhibiting artist at The Shed). This collective of Filipinx women have gathered since 2018 to train in Filipino Martial Arts under the mentoring of Cabildo, specifically with a focus on decolonizing Filipino Martial Arts through practice. They predominantly train in Kali (also known as Arnis or Eskrima) which emphasizes weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives, and bladed weapons, as well as “open hand” techniques without weapons. For this project, Garcia facilitated writing workshops to collaboratively create this text in response to the collective’s needs in today’s cultural landscape.

This app also features an animation and and recorded audio from a Filipino blowgun, called a sumpit. Garcia was gifted this projectile weapon by Aeta Elder, Sir Lakay Catalino with assistance from Ate Charisse Aquino Tugade of Manila Collectible in the Philippines.

A special thank you to Tommy Martinez and a Pioneer Works Tech Residency for AR programming, design and consultancy on this app; to the Chrysalis Kali Collective for holding me in this practice and participating in this project in multifaceted ways; to Unlimited Martial Arts in Brooklyn for providing us with a space to train, discuss, and write; Alessandra Gomez, Amanda Singer and the team at The Shed for the opportunity to make this work; and to my friends, family, and partner who have supported me during this process. This work is dedicated to my late mother, Imelda.