Mictlan
A journey through the underworld
A performance by Santa Sangre Body Rituals, Joa Helgesson, and Hilary Whitmore (Operafication)
Mictlan is a threshold — a space between worlds, where the soul is tested and unmade.
Here, gods ask for fragments of you. The order of things unravels: wild beasts become guides, and shedding your human skin becomes a necessary rite.
Follow the path of a soul through the trials of the underworld — a journey of disintegration, where death clears the way for new life.
Rooted with one foot in the Western Requiem tradition, the music evokes that weightless state between the physical and the metaphysical — where the body hovers, as in body suspension, between worlds.
It then meets the rich, symbolic terrain of the Aztec underworld, where the dead are not forgotten, but guided, challenged, and transformed.
In this piece, opera and body suspension meet, merging the voices of the professional Opera singers Joa Helgesson and Hilary Whitmore (Operafication) and the violin of Alexey Kochetkov with the blood offering of Santa Sangre Body Rituals into an experimental ritual of passage.
Music by: Isnt – @isnt_vetra
Violin by: Alexey Kochetkov – @5.string.theory
Santa Sangre Body Rituals is a performance project founded in 2015 by Beto Rea (Kukulcan Rituals) and Darkam, blending rituals with contemporary body art. Over the past decade, they’ve brought their transformative performances to art galleries, opera festivals, and fetish events across Europe, Mexico, Brazil, and Thailand.
Together, they explore the boundaries of body and spirit, inviting audiences and participants to engage with the transformative power of rituals and ancient stories.
Hilary Whitmore is a visionary opera singer, actress, ritualist, and the creator of Operafication, a groundbreaking performance art experience that combines opera, experimental vocals, live instrumentation, movement, and ritual with the art of flesh hook suspension. Since 2003, Operafication has captivated audiences across four continents, from grand performance halls and art museums to hidden tunnels beneath train stations, Hilary explores the expressive potential of body suspension by using the suspended body as a powerful vessel for creative communication. Her work challenges conventional boundaries, blending vulnerability and strength to evoke powerful emotional responses. Whether on stage or collaborating with fellow artists, Hilary continues to push the limits of artistic expression, captivating and inspiring all who witness her work.
Joa Helgesson
Joa Helgesson is a Swedish opera singer and performance artist based in Berlin. Since 2016, he incorporates body suspension in his performances, mixing classical opera with extreme body art. While exploring unusual ways and venues to present opera to new audiences, his performances rely on strong narratives and poetic visuals.